Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Adrien and Nino had a policy to tell each other everything. It started after Nino chewed Adrien’s dad out one too many times without telling him first, but it stuck because they agreed it was just good policy to be open with your friends. Secrets aren’t a good foundation for any kind of relationship.

Of course, Adrien hated it, but he did have to keep one secret from his best friend. And he was really regretting it now, because it had landed him in one hell of an awkward conversation.

He and Nino were video chatting, under the guise of helping each other with homework. It was one of those rare Sunday evenings when Adrien had nothing scheduled, though his father was busy downstairs, running around like a madman and breaking the souls of his interns in the rush to plan their spring line. Adrien was quite happy to stay in his room and do nothing for a while.

They actually were working on homework for a few minutes. When Nathalie came in to check on him, Adrien hurried to look busy, but then they stuck to it even after she left, and lapsed into silence, with the rapid tapping of Nino’s pencil on his desk keeping time.

“Hey, dude?” Nino asked after a minute. His voice sounded strained, and Adrien figured he was having trouble with the math problem they were on. He definitely was.

“Yeah?” Adrien asked, not taking his eyes from his paper. Nino didn’t speak for a moment, so Adrien looked up. Though his face was trained towards his phone’s camera, Nino’s eyes were clearly fixed on a spot on the wall above it.  “What’s up?”

Nino wetted his lips nervously. “I, uh, don’t want to be that guy, but is it okay if I ask you about… gay stuff?”

Adrien chuckled. “Yeah, man, I don’t mind.”

“Right. Cool. Thanks.” Nino took a deep breath. “It’s just--I kind of wanted some… advice? Because I-I think I might like guys, too.”

“Really?” Adrien exclaimed. “I mean, dude, that’s great. What did you want help with?”

“I don’t really know, I guess?” Nino scratched the back of his neck. “I’ve kind of been thinking about it for a while, and I just wanted to… talk about it?”

“Sure!”

“I mean,” Nino continued, more confidently. “I feel like I’ve always kind of thought dudes were hot, without realizing that’s what it was, you know? And lately I’ve been just sitting with the thought of, like, dating guys or even just, like, letting myself be into them?”

Adrien nodded, and took a drink of water to try to suppress a smile as Nino gained momentum.

“I mean, for a while, I guess I just thought I was jealous of those dudes?” Nino shrugged. “Like, Kim’s just popular. Chat Noir’s just a superhero. You know what I mean?”

Adrien was glad he’d finished swallowing already, or he would have done a spit-take. “Yea--Wait, what about Chat Noir?”

Nino scoffed. “Yeah, come on, bro. Everyone knows you’re in love with Ladybug. Don’t tell me you’re not a little in love with Chat Noir, too.”

“I’m… not?”

Nino blinked. “Oh. Well, that makes one of us, I guess.”

“I--you, uh…what?” Adrien tried to seem casual, but he couldn’t help gaping.

“Dude, I’ve had some pretty good dreams starring Chat Noir,” Nino grinned.

Adrien rubbed at his eyes, still trying to process. “Wait, what does that mean?”

Nino flushed. “You know, the kind you might need a cold shower to wake up from.” Adrien squinted in confusion, and Nino sighed. “We banged, Adrien. I was trying to be discreet.”

Adrien made a choking sound and had to pretend to drop his pencil to have an excuse to duck down and hide his bright red face. He let his face take its journey through whatever emotions flashed through it while it was hidden from view, which mainly involved various degrees of shock and him silently mouthing, “What the fuck?” a few times.

He took a deep breath, and straightened up. Nino was looking anxiously at him from the other side of his phone screen, and Adrien forced up a smile. “Sorry, dude, I know this is a bad time, but Nathalie needs to see me for something, so I gotta go. Thanks for telling me, really, and I’m totally free to text if you need it.”

Nino’s face cleared, and he beamed. “Thanks, bro. See you tomorrow.”

“See you,” Adrien agreed faintly.

The moment Nino’s face disappeared from his phone screen, Adrien whirled around to face Plagg, who was stifling snickers on the bed. When he met Adrien’s eyes, he let himself be as loud as he wanted, cackling gleefully at Adrien’s conflicted expression.

Adrien’s phone buzzed; it was a text from Nino.

From: Quentin Tarantinino

Hey, sorry if I made things weird at the end there

Like I totally wouldn’t have mentioned the dream thing but like

Idk that was a big help in figuring it out bc it was just one of those things where u wake up and ur like “huh. Cool.”

U know?

Adrien had to laugh. He did know. But…

Chat noir? Really?

Why what’s wrong with him

Dude he’s so lame

B

R

O

U didn’t just say that

I’m offended for him

I’m offended for me

I’m offended for everyone???

LisTen

Every time I see an interview w him

I want to die

It’s embarrassing

Ok he can be kind of a dork but

It’s Endearing my dude

My bro

I’ll convert u mark my words……….

One day you’ll accept that chat noir is hot

Adrien snorted. “I doubt it,” he said aloud.

Plagg looked up at him. “You know, he didn’t hear that.”

“Yeah, shut up. I’ll show him how lame I can really be. Plagg, transform me!”

As Chat knocked on Nino’s window, he had the belated realization that he hadn’t thought this through. At all.

But there was no turning back; Nino had already caught a glimpse of his silhouette framed against the streetlights. Chat wiggled his fingers and grinned awkwardly.

He was off to a great start.

Nino’s face flushed as he scrambled off his bed, searching madly for something on his floor. He found a sweatshirt and pulled it on, pulling his headphones off his ears in the process, and they dangled down from the neck of his shirt, bouncing against his chest when he rushed across the room again. He cracked the window and casually tried to sling his headphones to their normal position around his neck.

“Ch-chat Noir! What’s up?”

“Oh, you know.” He stuck his legs through the open window, and sat down on the sill. “Just… chilling?”

Nino bobbed his head. “Yeah, cool. Cool. Uh, so is there anything I can… help you with?”

Chat shrugged. “Not really. I was just out for a walk. Saw your light on. You know how it is.” He kicked a pile of papers and watched them scatter across the floor.

Nino grimaced, but said nothing.

“So, what’s up with you?” Chat continued. “Staying upbeat, and all that? Well, I mean, I guess you’ve gotta.” He grinned and tapped Nino’s headphones with his foot. Nino had backed up pretty far from the window, so it was a bit of a stretch, but he managed to keep his balance by bracing both arms against the top of the window pane.

He was sure it looked ridiculous, but that was the point.

“What?” Nino looked mystified.

“Up beat ,” Chat repeated. “You know.” He tried to touch Nino’s headphones again, without stretching this time, but ended up just sticking his leg in the air and wiggling it in Nino’s general direction. “Beats. Your headphones.”

“Oh!” Nino chuckled, but it wasn’t fake or forced, to Chat’s surprise. He had purposely made the worst joke he could think of in the moment. And he was used to Nino’s fake laugh, from the number of times he’d taken pity on Adrien’s horrible sense of humor.

What was he doing?

“Yeah, no, I’m good, man. Uh, h-how are you?” Nino crossed his arms nervously, hugging them against his chest. “What’s going on? Besides, like, shaving the-- saving the city all the time. Man, do you even have any free time?”

Chat shrugged. “Sometimes. I do need to eat and sleep and stuff.”

“Oh, cool, you eat!” Nino flushed. “I mean, of course you do. I mean, I was going to ask if you wanted something to eat. You know, while you’re here. Or another time, maybe, if you’re not hungry now?”

“Oh, strange, nameless boy, you read my mind,” Chat said.

“Uh, it’s Nino. We’ve met before. You don’t remember me? I’m friends with Alya, and--”

Chat closed his eyes and held up a finger. “I’m doing a thing.”

“Sorry.”

“See,” Chat continued. “I came by here for one reason tonight, and I haven’t been totally honest. I stopped by tonight, because when I looked in your window, I saw something I want, and I wanted to ask you…” He paused for dramatic effect, and then said. “Can I have some Doritos?”

Nino stumbled back and snatched up the open bag of chips from his desk. “Yeah, sure,” he said breathlessly. “Take the whole thing, if you want.”

Chat stuck his hand through the window and grabbed as many Doritos as he could hold, before stuffing them all in his mouth. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “See you around.”

He left Nino standing dumbfoundedly at the window, his arm still outstretched and holding the Doritos bag out to no one. Chat ran home as fast as he could, and dropped his transformation.

He kicked back on his bed, and Plagg settled down beside him. “I think that went about as badly as it could have,” Adrien said triumphantly.

He had left his phone behind, and it buzzed from its place on his night stand.

From: Quentin Tarantinino

DUDE

YOURE NEVER GOING TO BELIEVE THIS

Chat noir

Just came by

He stole my dorites

And my heart

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT DID YOU DO THIS

IM

SHOOK

Yeah I’m Definitely into him

Lol

Adrien pls

My dude

Answer ur fcking phone I’m dying

Plagg looked over Adrien’s shoulder at the messages that continued to roll past. “Yeah, sounds like you did a great job, kid.”

Chapter Text

Nino awoke the next morning with a warm feeling in his belly, and he carried it all the way to school. Adrien had never answered his texts the night before--not that Nino had expected him to. It wasn’t uncommon for Adrien to not be able to reach his phone, especially during last-minute fittings, but it didn’t matter. Nino was bursting to talk to him at school.

Adrien was already there, scribbling in his notebook, probably scrambling to complete the homework he hadn’t been able to finish over the weekend. He seemed lost in thought, and Nino slipped into the seat next to him and peeked over his shoulder.

“‘Operation: Convince Nino Chat Noir is a Loser?’” Nino read out loud.

Adrien jumped and slammed the cover shut. “Oh, hey.”

“Nuh-uh.” Nino grabbed the notebook before Adrien could stop him, and flipped back to the right page.

“Dude, come on…” Adrien protested.

“Does this say ‘throw a fight?’ Are you proposing to fight Chat Noir, and then purposely lose?”  Nino chuckled. “What would that accomplish, exactly?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Adrien muttered. “I crossed that one out, anyway.”

“‘Act like a cat and see how much he likes it,’” Nino continued. “Man, what evidence do you have that Chat Noir is a literal cat?”

“What evidence do you have that says he isn’t?” Adrien replied. “Are you saying you’re a furry, Nino?”

Nino winked. “When I find out more about this particular feline, I’ll give you my answer.”

“Dude…”

“I’m just saying, I’m pretty sure he’s just a regular guy in a costume,” Nino said, shrugging. “But if having a thing for Chat Noir makes me a furry, then so be it.”

Adrien gaped at him.

“What?” Nino asked.

“Nino, man, you’re my best friend, and I love you,” Adrien said. “But sometimes, the things that come out of your mouth make me want to die.”

Nino ripped the page out, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into his bookbag. “Well, anyway, that’s the end of that.”

Adrien tugged at his notebook. “Can I have this back now?” Nino lifted his hands in surrender, and bent down to dig his own notes out of his bag.

He straightened up and spread his books out over the desk, fiddling nervously with his pen. “I mean, it’s not like I have a chance anyway, right?” he laughed.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked.

Nino scoffed. “Come on. Even if Chat Noir did like dudes, which I doubt, everyone knows he’s, like, singularly obsessed with Ladybug.”

“Wait,” Adrien sputtered, “do you think Chat is straight?”

Nino leaned back in his chair. “Hey, Alya?” She was chatting with Marinette, and it took a few tries to get her attention.

“What?”

“Is Chat Noir into guys?” Nino asked.

“How should I know?” she returned. “I’ve never asked.”

“Come on,” Nino insisted. “You’ve done, like, millions of interviews.”

“Yeah, and it would be, like, super inappropriate to ask.”

“Oh, he definitely is,” Marinette said confidently. Alya, Nino, and Adrien looked at her in confusion, and she colored slightly. “I mean, I’ve heard him make a lot of jokes about being bisexual. You guys have heard him too, right? I totally get it if you blocked it out thought, because, like, some of them were really bad, and I mean… actually, maybe I’m thinking of someone else, after all. Yeah, that’s probably it.”

“No, I think you’re onto something,” Adrien ventured, eyeing her cautiously. He rounded on Nino. “Told you.”

Nino didn’t look too upset that he’d lost the argument; in fact, he wore a pretty triumphant smirk. The bell rang, and Ms. Bustier waited impatiently for the class to quiet down, putting an end to that discussion, but Nino wiggled his eyebrows at Adrien before turning to face the front.

Nino tried not to get his hopes up, but he couldn’t stop himself from lining up a few bags of snacks within the line of sight of his window. Just in case. But a week passed, and Chat Noir didn’t come by again.

“It’s stupid to think he’d drop in, right?” Nino complained. They were hanging out in Adrien’s room after school, and Nino had sprawled himself over the couch, while Adrien sat on the floor playing video games. “Like, it was just once, and for a dumb reason. And I probably creeped him out.”

“Well, he did show up out of nowhere,” Adrien replied, exasperation creeping into his tone. “And it was your bedroom, and it was late. If anything, he was being weird.”

Nino groaned and threw his arm across his eyes. “Doesn’t matter. I fucked it all up, Adrien. I mean, he didn’t even remember who I was, and I’ve made a movie about him, and then I freaked out when he just stopped in. That’s, like, class-A freaky shit.”

He sat bolt upright with the realization. “Oh god. What if he looked me up after he left and thought I was stalking him or something. Or, I mean, I didn’t ask to his permission to use that footage in the film festival. I know I didn’t win, so hopefully he doesn’t want royalties or anything, but he’s probably still pissed. I should have asked. Should I have? I should have. Right?

“But what if he doesn’t remember at all?” Nino continued. He swung his legs over the side of the couch and leaned forward, burying his head in his hands. “Then me bringing it up would be weird. Do you think he has, like, an email or something? That way it’s not face-to-face, at least.” He turned his head and rested his cheek against his palm, not caring that he was now staring and speaking directly into Adrien’s ear. “Do you think he has a lawyer?”

Adrien paused his game and closed his eyes for a beat, before throwing his controller aside and turning to face Nino. He scooted back to make some space between them and sighed. “Dude.”

Nino blinked innocently. “What?”

“Honestly, if you hit him with all of that, he’s probably just going to tell you to drop it, anyway.”

“Listen, man, I know I’m overthinking things,” Nino moaned. “But, like, how many chances am I going to get at a first impression with this guy? And how long until he connects the dots and realizes that it’s just me every time? God, does that seem desperate? Should I just--”

“Are you sure he didn’t remember who you were?” Adrien asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, like you said, you’ve run into him quite a few times now. It was probably just a joke.”

“But what if it wasn’t? And what if it was, but I look dumb for taking it seriously?” Nino leaned backwards, forcefully bouncing off the couch cushions a few times, and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. He let his head loll to the side. “Love is hard, bro.”

“L-love?” Adrien froze.

“I don’t know,” Nino replied helplessly. “I like him a lot, and he seems like a really cool dude. But I guess I don’t really know… anything about him. And I’d like to, you know? If only I could stop acting like such a spaz. I mean, you remember when I liked Marinette, right?”

An idea struck him at that moment, and his face lit up. “Hey, Adrien, you could be my wingman again!”

Adrien snorted. “Nope. No, no, I cannot and will not be your wingman.”

“Why not? I could probably get him to put in a good word for you with Ladybug. You know, after a little bit. When I don’t need you anymore.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, when I don’t need to talk through you anymore.” Nino pouted.

Adrien winced. “Wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t need me in the first place?”

“Okay, but consider: I’ve already tried talking to him without you around, and it was a disaster.” Nino pleaded. “Come on, man, not even, like, once?”

Adrien sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine. The next time me, you, and Chat Noir are in the same place, I’ll help you flirt with him.” He smiled to himself and shook his head. “Only because I love you, Nino.” He picked up his controller and unpaused the game, signalling an end to the conversation.

Nino pulled his phone out and scrolled through the notifications that clustered on his screen. “Okay, cool,” he said slyly, “because Alya just saw an akuma headed this way, so Chat’s probably not far behind.”

“What?” Adrien whirled around; behind him, his character died, and the video game played a few strains of somber music, but he just stared at Nino blankly.

“Uh, yeah,” Nino replied, grinning shamelessly. “Apparently she thinks it’s Mendeleiev. About time, right?”

“Ha. Yeah, I guess.” Adrien swallowed hard. “Hey, listen, I’m going to go jump in the shower.”

Nino crossed his arms. “Really?”

Adrien laughed nervously. “Yes…? My hair’s been feeling kind of greasy all day, and--”

“Super convenient that it comes up right now, when you literally just said--” Nino cut himself off. “No, you know what? Whatever, dude. I’m going to watch Alya’s livestream.”

Adrien got up and ran to the bathroom, but paused in the doorway. Nino was curled in on himself, sitting with his feet on the couch and his arms resting on his knees, with his back to Adrien. His shoulders rose around his ears when he heard the bathroom door open, and he pointedly ignored the impulse to turn around. He could feel Adrien’s eyes on him.

Good. He should feel bad.

The bathroom door shut a few moments later.

What was it about the Agrestes’ house that made it a magnet for akumas? As the house shook around him, Nino reflected that Adrien might be cursed.

Silenceleste, as Alya’s blog told him, had the power to silence anyone with a single glare. He’d seen the footage where she shot out a bright blue bolt of lasers and snuffed out an entire Jagged Stone concert in seconds.

The Eiffel Tower and the surrounding neighborhood were eerily silent, so he guessed it must have been all too easy to hear him yell, “Fuck yeah!” through the open window when he caught sight of Ladybug swinging past.

Silenceleste slipped in gracefully through the window, and Nino backed up hastily, running for cover. Chat and Ladybug followed her in, landing silently but still attracting her attention, giving Nino time to hide. He jiggled the bathroom handle, but the door was locked, and he banged desperately on it. “Adrien, come on, dude, open the door! I’m not mad at you, it’s dumb, okay? I just really need you to let me in!”

She swiveled her head around to glare at him, and he was briefly blinded by a burst of light, and when he opened his mouth again, nothing came out.

Ladybug winced at him sympathetically, but Chat gestured frantically for him to hunker down somewhere. Ladybug tossed her yo-yo up in the air and mouthed, “Lucky Charm!”

A spotted bandana fell into her hands, and she squinted at it in confusion. Chat, meanwhile, had engaged Silenceleste in combat. It was surreal to see his baton clashing up against her weapon without hearing any of the sounds they should have made. Nino felt like someone had just slipped noise-cancelling headphones over his ears.

Whatever her weapon was, Silenceleste didn’t seem to be very proficient in its use. It appeared to just be a long, flat piece of sturdy metal, which she brandished wildly at Chat in haphazard swipes. He easily sidestepped most of them, but still couldn’t seem to disarm her; every time he seemed close to victory, her slender weapon slipped away again.

A lightbulb went off over Ladybug’s head, and while Chat had the villain distracted, she motioned Nino to her. He crawled over, dodging Chat’s baton a few times, and looked at her inquisitively. She presented the bandana to him, then tapped next to her eyes, and pointed at the bandana in his hands, her gaze darting between him and Silenceleste. He nodded, and tucked it into his pocket before slipping away again.

Ladybug approached Silenceleste, and between the two heroes, her attention was sufficiently diverted enough for Nino to sneak up behind her and pull the bandana around over her eyes. She fell over in alarm, bringing Nino down with her as he held tightly onto the blindfold. In the chaos, they landed on Chat Noir, and Ladybug leaned down daintily to pick up her weapon, snapping it neatly over her knee. As the butterfly emerged from the broken pieces, and she purified the akuma, Nino picked himself up sheepishly, and held out a hand to help Chat stand.

“You okay, man?” he tried to say, but Ladybug still hadn’t used her Miraculous cure. “Oh, sorry. I can’t talk.”

Chat nodded gratefully, and winked instinctively as he let go of Nino’s hand.

Nino’s face turned bright red, and he hastily averted his eyes, trying to suppress a grin. His hand hovered around his mouth, before falling to his side.

He was saved any further embarrassment by the flurry of ladybugs that appeared to do their magic, and when he regained his voice, Chat’s attention was focused elsewhere.

Ladybug held the reconstructed meter stick out to Mme. Mendeleiev, who was standing uncomfortably stiff and silent in the middle of one of her students’ bedrooms.

“Um…” Chat eyed the doors critically. “Sorry about this, ma’am, but I think you’re going to have to leave through the window with us. I don’t think Mr. Agreste would appreciate a stranger going through his house, for whatever reason.”

Nino snickered. Chat leaned out the window, extending his baton until it reached the street, and prodded her to slide down it. She did, at a snail’s pace, gripping the pole tightly and trying not to look down.

“Tell your friend sorry about his room,” Ladybug apologized to Nino. “Although everything should be fine, now.”

Nino waved her off. “He probably didn’t hear anything, and I promise, he won’t even notice.”

Ladybug nodded briskly, and smiled at him in farewell; then she jumped out the window and flew away on her yo-yo.

Chat pulled his baton back up and readied it to launch himself away, but he paused when he noticed Nino staring at him. They stood frozen like that for a few seconds, before the beeping of his ring startled him.

He saluted. “Well, see you around, Nino.”

“Yeah, see you,” Nino replied faintly. Chat took off, and Nino watched him for a few brief moments before he disappeared behind a building.

As soon as he was out of sight, Nino rushed back over to the bathroom door and pounded on it urgently. “Adrien, dude! You’re never going to believe this!”

Chapter Text

His heart was racing.

Nino was hanging out with Adrien in his room, and they had decided to dust off his old Dance Dance Revolution machine. They were in hot competition with each other, but when they started the third round, Nino hit his groove.

His feet flew, tapping with a mind of their own and hitting each move perfectly. The game’s announcer cheered him on.

“Good! Nice! Great!”

Nino’s concentration didn’t falter, even as the song’s tempo picked up. He slid and jumped with ease, still matching the song’s pace.

It kept speeding up, until Nino could no longer decipher the words; just a tinny, frenetic ringing, but still his legs moved, flailing wildly. It was as if they, too, were plugged into the game, simply going and going and going.

He tried to stop.

“Excellent! Wow! Perfect!” the announcer exclaimed.

He couldn’t stand still. His legs were out of his control, now, and they felt more like a blur of motion than anything else. Nino lunged forward and gripped tightly onto the rail, trying to slow himself down, but it was no use.

“Great job! Wow!”

“Adrien!” he called out, turning to his friend for assistance. But he wasn’t there anymore, and Nino was dancing alone.

It didn’t even feel like it could be called dancing anymore. The screen kept telling him he was hitting all the steps, but he just felt something whirling around beneath him, like a leg tornado.

He wished he could lose his balance and fall over and stop this, instead of feeling like a spinning top, being jostled around on the whims of… whatever was controlling his bottom half.

Then, suddenly, he careened over the game’s safety rail, and realized it was actually the guardrail of a viewing platform. He fell off the balcony and landed squarely in a chair.

Mme. Mendeleiev leaned across the desk, towering over him and twisting the dial to the Bunsen burner in front of him. The flame rose higher, licking and catching at the brim of his hat, but when he tried to cry out in alarm, no sound came from his mouth.

As he looked at his teacher in horror, she returned his gaze with her usual flat stare. The fire simmered along the edge of his cap. He jolted up and tried to scramble away.

At first, it didn’t spread, and it wasn’t hot, but he feared it all the same, and when he reached up to pat the fire out, it stuck to his fingers like syrup. He tried to yell, but Mme. Mendeleiev reached over and wrapped her fingers around his wrist and his voice failed him once again.

“ What are you doing? ” he tried to say. Her pointed fingernails pierced into his arm, and the more he tried to speak, the larger the flames grew, crawling up his arms and down his ears. It didn’t burn; wherever the fire touched, he felt the same sharp pain from his teacher’s grip.

Nino couldn’t keep from crying out, and the pain continued to spread. Flames spilled through his open mouth and down his throat, and he felt like he was swallowing needles.

Then Mme. Mendeleiev staggered back, as if hit, and through the haze of smoke and pain, Nino saw two figures rush in from the hallway. Her grip loosened, and he broke away, his vision clearing.

Adrien and Chat Noir stood in the doorway, framed dramatically by the hallway behind them, which was flooded with light. Adrien drew his fencing foil, and Chat Noir his baton, and the two of them rushed to Nino’s side. With a few swift strikes from their weapons that Nino barely caught, Mme. Mendeleiev was sent flying through the door, into the blinding white light beyond.

Adrien removed Nino’s cap, extinguishing it with his bare hands. Chat smoothed Nino’s hair back from his forehead, blowing out the rest of the flames as easily as a birthday candle.

“Are you okay?” Chat asked, bringing his hands back around to cradle his cheeks.

Nino’s throat still ached, and just he nodded, leaning into Chat’s hands and closing his eyes. Adrien placed his hat gently back on his head, and stayed there for a lingering moment, wrapping his arms loosely around Nino’s shoulders and leaning his head against the side of Nino’s.

Nino felt lips brush his forehead, but when he opened his eyes, both boys stood where they had been and were staring at him in gentle concern. Then, Chat looped his arm around Nino’s waist, and Adrien grabbed his other hand and led them through the back door of the chemistry classroom.

They entered into the locker room, which was cool and dim and deserted, and sat down. Chat straddled the bench, and Nino leaned against him. Adrien sat facing them, and took Nino’s hands, rubbing gently at the burnmarks. He kissed Nino’s palms, and the burns rubbed off as easily as smoke stains.

Chat rubbed Nino’s sides and rested his head on his shoulder. His hair tickled Nino’s ear, but he endured it, feeling the rumbling purr bubbling in Chat’s chest and resting comfortably against it. He vaguely heard someone knocking on a distant door; quietly, at first, but then it grew louder and more insistent.

His mother slammed open his bedroom door. “Nino! You’re still asleep?”

He groaned and stretched, levering himself up onto his elbows. “What time is it?” he rasped.

“Far past the time you should have gotten up,” she clucked. “Come on, up, up, up!” She flicked the lights on and off a few times, before disappearing back out the door.

Nino watched Hanna slip out the open door, and spat out a few stray cat hairs that had managed to work their way into his mouth. Sweat coated his back and he threw the covers off, staggering upright. He rifled around for the first clean clothes he could find and pulled them on, before fumbling for his phone to check the time. It was dead.

“Shit,” he said, just as his father walked past, straightening his tie.

“Language!”

Nino rolled his eyes and got his hat from the back of his door. “Sorry,” he muttered. He grabbed his bookbag and hurried off down the hallway.

He snagged a breakfast bar from the kitchen as he passed through, and headed for his shoes by the door.

“Nino!” his mother called. “Aren't you forgetting something?”

He squinted at her, then patted his face. “Right. Glasses.”

He doubled back to get them, and saw his phone charger still plugged in. It snaked along the wall and disappeared behind his bed. He briefly considered reaching back to try to get it, but his mother called again, more insistently, and he thought better of it; it would only make him late. He could just borrow from someone at school.

His heart was racing.

Adrien was playing basketball, one-on-one against Kim. His eyes were glued to the ground, even as his opponent loomed above him, and Adrien danced away, bobbing and weaving and dribbling.

Kim was there at every turn, easily keeping up with Adrien’s footwork. He snatched the ball away. Adrien tried to look up and snarl at him, but found himself physically unable to focus on his face.

His gaze skirted around it, unable to train his eyes any higher than the logo on Kim’s sweatshirt, which seemed to grow until his took over his entire vision, blinding him momentarily. And then he blinked, and Kim was on the other side of the court, dunking the ball victoriously.

He tried to call foul, but Kim’s voice rose over his own, taunting him. “Aw, what’s wrong, pretty boy? It’s not fair? Why don’t you run and tell your dad? I’m sure he can fix everything for you.”

Adrien tried to protest that no, it wasn’t like that, but there are rules to the game, and you can’t just cheat , but suddenly Chloé was there, too, backing him up and threatening to call her own father, no matter how much he tried to tell her I appreciate it, Chlo, but you’re really not helping, I can handle this on my own, it’s not that big of a deal, just leave it--

Amidst the squabbling, Adrien noticed a gruesome cackling, growing from a murmur until it roared in his ears. Though he’d never heard the man’s voice, he recognized it immediately.

Hawk Moth.

Kim and Chloé continued to bicker, heedless of the danger. Adrien wondered if they could even hear it, or if the laughter was all in his head. Then he saw it coming for him: a pitch black butterfly, dark and mottled like an oilslick, headed straight for him. He shut his eyes tight, hoping that by ignoring it, it might pass him by.

Something collided with him, and he staggered back, his eyes snapping open in alarm. Ladybug had barrelled into him, pushing him out of the akuma’s way, and he watched in horror as it disappeared between her shoulder blades.

She screamed, but it cut off abruptly; a purple cloud descended over her face, just for a brief moment, and her eyes flashed bright orange.

She grinned wickedly at him. “Hello, Adrien.”

He tried to back up, to get away and run off and find a place to transform, but his feet were frozen to the ground, and when he looked down at his hands, the ring wasn’t there. Panicked, he looked towards Ladybug, wondering if she had managed to slip it off of him, but her hands were empty.

She tapped his nose a few times to bring his attention back up to her face. “Now, I know you and Chat Noir are close,” she said brightly. “Can you tell me where I might find him?”

She looked completely normal, still, except for her eyes. He found himself hypnotized, unable to look away from her irises, which shifted in color from bright greens and yellows and oranges like poison.

“A-dri-en,” she sang. “I asked you a question.”

His hands shook, and he clasped them together behind his back, but before he could say anything, his feet lifted off the ground, and someone held him in a strong grip, and he was lifted away.

His feet touched back down, and they were on a rooftop somewhere. Though it had been early afternoon in the courtyard at school, it was twilight now, and as he crouched behind a chimney with his savior, he had to squint through the dim light to make out who it was.

Adrien heard the familiar click of his baton collapsing, and a pair of warm brown eyes looked him over in concern. The other boy spoke to him, but it sounded garbled, like they were underwater.

“Are you okay?” he repeated.

Adrien nodded. Chat Noir didn’t seem convinced, and put his hand against Adrien’s forehead, like he was checking for a fever. Suddenly, Adrien realized who he was.

“Nino?”

Chat smirked. “Here to save your ass again,” he remarked. He poked his head around the side of the chimney and turned back to Adrien. “Coast’s clear.”

Adrien's hands were around his waist before he could say anything more. He pushed him back against the wall, and kissed him hard. Chat's mouth curled underneath his lips, and then it slid away.

Adrien felt the gentle pricking of claws through his shirt as Chat held him closer and pressed his open mouth against his neck. Adrien leaned forward, pressing his knee against the wall between Chat's legs. He reached up and ran his hand through Chat's short, dark hair, and ran his fingers across the nape of his neck.

Chat pulled his head back and looked at Adrien, panting slightly, and Adrien surged forward, bringing their lips together again and again--

The shrill beeping of Adrien's alarm startled him to his senses. He was spread-eagle in bed, and his mouth was dry and dusty. Plagg stirred irritably, rolling over and groaning.

Adrien smacked his mouth a few times and silenced his alarm. He realized he was shaking, even as he went through his morning routine and gradually woke up.

He was still jittery as he settled into school, and it was a relief that Nino was nowhere to be found. He skidded into his seat mere seconds before the bell rang, giving them no time to talk.

But Mme. Bustier was having computer trouble, and while Myléne rushed to the front to help her, Nino leaned over and muttered, “Hey, dude, can I borrow your phone charger?”

“Hmm?” Adrien muttered. “Oh, yeah.” His hand shook slightly as he held it out to Nino.

“You okay?” Nino asked. He ducked underneath the desk to plug the cord in, and looked up at Adrien in wide-eyed concern.

Adrien swallowed hard. “Yeah, I just, uh, I think my blood sugar’s low or something? Probably?”

Nino dove into his bag, saying, “Well, you’re in luck. I overslept, so I’ve got a granola bar, if you want it.” He offered it to Adrien, who pushed it back at him.

“No, Nino, you need to eat. I’m fine.”

Nino shrugged and unwrapped it, taking a bite. “Suit yourself. Hey, do you have any water? I feel like I deepthroated a cactus.” Adrien stared at him in mild horror, but he just raised his eyebrows and took another bite.

Adrien shook his hands out and reached down for the bottle of water in his bag, and steadily held it out to his best friend.

It was just a dream, after all.

Chapter Text

Nino’s favorite spot in the library was on the second level, along the front wall, in the corner farthest from the door. There was a little nook, where the walls extended past the last of shelves, without leaving enough space for another set, and in that corner, someone had wedged a table and two chairs. The table was chronically wobbly and cramped, and the only space for the chairs was facing the wall; it didn't appeal to many, so he never had to fight for his seat.

The hidden treasure, though, was the three power outlets under the table. Elsewhere in the library, students had to fight and sweat over a chance to charge their phones. It made Nino feel like a king.

Adrien often had Chinese lessons during study hall, but when he was there, he co-opted the other chair and made the corner seem a little less lonely.

When Nino showed up, both seats were already full; Alya and Adrien were hunched over something, heads huddled together. Nino bounded over to them and, placing a casual elbow on each of their shoulders, asked, “What's up?”

“Watching porn,” Alya said without missing a beat.

Adrien sputtered. “What? Alya! No--This is the library!”

She snickered, elbowing Adrien playfully in the ribs. “Chill out, dude.” She turned to Nino. “Watching old videos of Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

“Oh. Lame. Why?”

“D’Argentcourt’s getting on my ass again,” Adrien groaned. “Apparently my form is ‘abysmal’ and I would ‘do well to observe a true master of fencing technique, like Chat Noir.” He sighed heavily and added under his breath, “Which is completely ridiculous, but whatever.”

“Oh, yeah, Adrien? Why is that ridiculous?” Alya asked. “Maybe because you’re Chat Noir and you can’t learn from yourself?”

Adrien stared blankly at her, and Nino giggled. “Al, come on, let it go.”

“I will not!”

“I meant because he doesn't even have a sword,” Adrien retorted.

She grinned. “I find it a little suspicious that you refuse to give me an actual answer. And, you know, not for nothing, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you and Chat Noir in the same room before.”

“You’re right,” Nino said, glaring pointedly at Adrien. “I haven’t, either.”

Adrien sank down in his chair; the tips of his ears turned red.

“Anyway,” Alya continued, oblivious. “I wanted to put together a video for the blog; kind of a ‘best hits’ thing, you know? And this totally counts as helping him study.”

“Alright,” Nino said. “I mean, it's better than what I had planned.” He spun his phone around between two fingers. “But dudes, we have a new trailer.”

“What?!” Alya screeched. She yanked her phone away from Adrien and typed “sparrow feather fall trailer” in the address bar.

“Two and a half minutes,” Adrien whispered reverentially.  “This is a good day.”

“ Ahem.” A nasally voice from behind startled them. “You three are being disruptive.”

They whipped around to see Mr. Fournier glaring at them. Alya quickly set her phone facedown on the table.

“We were just studying,” she began.

But the librarian wasn't fooled. “Turn your phone over.”

Busted . As soon as he saw YouTube on the screen, he held out his hand. Alya opened her mouth to protest, but saw Adrien and Nino eyeing her warily, and decided against it. She placed her phone reluctantly in his outstretched hand, and he tucked it in his breast pocket.

“You can have it back after study hall is over,” he said. The effect was ruined somewhat by the fact that Alya’s phone barely fit into his pocket, and kept seeming in danger of toppling out.

Alya and Nino covered their faces, trying to hide their quiet laughter  as surreptitiously as possible. Adrien managed to school his face into something resembling shame. “Yes, sir. Sorry.”

Mr. Fournier nodded sternly. “Quiet,” he reminded them, before slinking away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Alya and Adrien rounded on Nino.

“ No spoilers,” Adrien warned.

“Of course not,” Nino said. “It’s just, Melody and Mercury showed up for a few seconds. And we have an official release date.”

The others’ faces lit up. “Shiiiiit,” they breathed in unison.

“January 19th,” Nino added smugly.

Alya’s face fell. “Aw, man. Seriously?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s my parents’ anniversary.” She scowled. “I’m probably going to have to babysit. I won’t be able to go!”

Adrien shrugged. “That sucks. Guess it’s just going to be me and Nino.”

“Hell yeah, you and me.” Nino pumped his fist. “We can make a bro’s night out of it. Maybe you can convince your dad to let me spend the night, and we’ll go out for waffles in the morning--”

“Or,” Alya interrupted, “we could literally go the next day.”

“Hmm.” Adrien tapped his chin. “We could do that, except…” He pulled out his phone and quickly typed something in. “Oh, look at that, tickets are already on sale! And it looks like I’ve already bought two tickets. Sorry.”

Alya tried to scowl at him, but it slipped into an easygoing grin. “Assholes.”

Nino looked offended and laid a hand innocently across his chest. “Sometimes, Alya, a man just wants to go on a date with his best friend.”

It should have been a completely innocuous joke, but Adrien heard a high-pitched whining sound and realized, after a few seconds, that it was emanating from him . It petered out, slowly, after he noticed it, and his face flamed.

Alya smirked at him. “Dude, are you leaking?”

Nino snorted. “Yeah, the real Adrien couldn’t make it to school today, so I brought an inflatable one.” He patted Adrien randomly, on the head and chest and shoulder, and pushed his glasses up. “Hmm. I don’t see a rip anywhere…”

“No, Nino, what are you--” Adrien shrugged him off and smoothed down his shirt, avoiding their eyes.

“You feeling okay, Adrien?” Alya asked.

“Yeah, totally!” he replied. His phone buzzed, and he jumped, knocking it off the table. As he bent down, Alya and Nino traded glances.

“Oh, crap,” Adrien said, checking his phone as he straightened back up. He started to gather his things. “My tutor just texted me and said she’s here. 我得走了!”

“Sure, dude…” Nino said slowly.

“Uhh...sorry, I gotta go.” Adrien laughed uneasily. “Okay, see you guys later, bye!” He stumbled off, bag dangling precariously close to his tripping feet, and rushed out the door.

“When’s the last time he slept?” Alya asked.

Nino lowered himself into the newly vacated seat. “A couple days, maybe?”

“What does he even do that keeps him up that late?”

“Dunno. Dude’s busy.” Nino shrugged and started unpacking his bag. Alya put a hand on his arm and stopped him.

“Fournier didn’t take away your phone…” she began, batting her eyelashes.

Nino twisted his head around to check that the coast was clear, and pulled up the trailer.

Adrien was feeling restless, and when that was the case, he usually decided to hop out and stretch his legs. Unfortunately, there was a swarm of people below his window; his father was throwing a launch party for his new line, and Adrien was stuck.

He could probably have joined them if he wanted. But he really, really didn't want.

He wandered downstairs and found himself in the kitchen, suddenly overcome with the desire to bake something. He rifled around in the cabinets, trying to find a cookbook.

“Hey, Plagg?” he asked. “What’s something that’s easy to make.”

“Hmm...“ Plagg landed on the kitchen counter and sat down. “Fondue! It’s super easy. All you have to do is melt some cheese, and then you can stick things in it! Like your face.”

Adrien paused in his search to glare at the kwami.

“What am I, Siri?” Plagg asked, kicking his legs against the counter’s edge. Adrien scowled.

His hands scrabbled along the top shelf, out of his sight, but he felt his fingers brush against the spine of a book, and he grabbed it victoriously. “What’s this?” he asked, pulling it forward.

He didn’t realize how awkwardly angled the book was above his head, until it tipped forward off the shelf, headed straight for his face.

“Woah!”

Adrien stumbled backwards, but the corner still snagged his cheek on the way down. He managed to catch it with his chest, and wrapped his arms around it to hold it there. Panting, he threw the book down on the counter to flip it open and found, to his disappointment, that the title was in English. He vaguely recognized the cover as something his mother would pull out every time they had American visitors over for dinner.

“Come on, seriously?” he groaned. “Hey, Plagg, can you fly up there and point me to a cookbook that I can read ?”

Plagg laid down and flopped onto his belly. “I could.”

“ Will you?”

“Nope.”

Adrien sighed. “You’re the worst sometimes.”

“I’m extremely lazy,” Plagg corrected. “You know, in some cultures, that’s admired. It’s the mark of a king.”

“Actually, you’re the worst all the time,” Adrien continued.

Plagg grinned up at him. “Come on, kid, practice those language skills!”

“Whatever.” Adrien started flipping through the book, looking at the pictures, and stopped near the end. “This looks good. And there’s not that many ingredients, so it’s probably easy. Come on, Plagg, we’re making brownies.” He squinted down at the page. “What’s a table-spoon?”

“I think it’s those big spoons you use to serve stuff,” Plagg said.

Adrien dug around in the drawers until he found a big metal spoon. “Done.”

“And you need a teaspoon, too,” Plagg added. “I think those are just the normal-sized ones.”

“And a cup,” Adrien said. He grabbed a glass from the dishwasher. “All right, let’s get started.”

Half an hour later, Adrien came down to take the brownies out of the oven.

“It smells like vanilla in here,” Plagg whined.

Adrien took a deep breath and grinned. “Mhm. Isn’t it great?”

But when he opened the oven, he was confronted with a cloud of black smoke, and the smell of something horribly, disgustingly burnt . He dropped the pan on the counter and coughed. It was nearly empty, except for some charred crumbs in the corners.

Plagg covered his nose. “What did you do ?”

Adrien shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know! I followed the directions!” He hung his head. “I thought I did, at least.”

“Aren’t you friends with the baker girl?” Plagg asked.

“You’re right!” Adrien reached for his phone. “Marinette will be able to help.”

He dialed her number, and it rang and rang and rang.

“ Hi, you’ve reached Marinette! Leave a message!”

Frustrated, he hung up. At the same time, a notification popped up on his phone:

Alya Césaire is streaming live! Don’t miss it!

“Oh, yeah,” Adrien said. “Alya has her interview with Ladybug. Everyone’s probably watching that right now.”

He dropped the pan in the sink and ran some water in it, before bolting back upstairs to log onto his computer. He pulled up the Ladyblog on his central monitor and turned his volume up.

“So, Ladybug,” Alya was asking. “What exactly is your relationship with Chat Noir? I know we’re all wondering, especially after--”

Ladybug interrupted her. “I think I’ve made myself pretty clear about this already, Alya.” She laughed nervously. “Like I told Nadja Chamack, and you, and that guy Vincent something-or-other, and literally everyone else that’s ever asked--Chat is just a friend. He’s my partner, and my best friend, but we’re not dating.”

“No, of course!” Alya replied hastily. “I meant, like, do you keep in touch in your civilian lives? Or is it strictly work between you two?”

“Oh.” Ladybug’s cheeks flushed beneath her mask. “No, it’s just a work relationship. Nobody knows my secret identity, and, well, I can’t speak for Chat, but I hope it’s the same for him.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. She was always going on about that, it seemed.

Alya asked another question, but Adrien was already bored; this wasn’t anything new, really. It just felt like an excuse for Alya to hang out with Ladybug, and he didn’t see why she needed to stream that to the rest of the world. He muted his computer.

“Hey, I was listening to that!” Plagg protested.

Adrien stared at him flatly. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s really nice white noise to fall asleep to,” Plagg said. “Besides, I thought you just had to listen to like, everything Ladybug ever says.”

Adrien scoffed. “I’m just not interested this time.”

Plagg looked at him skeptically; if he had eyebrows, one would have been raised at Adrien.

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to play Overwatch. Leave me alone.”

“Whatever,” Plagg said, adding under his breath, “ fake fan .”

Chapter Text

Chloé wasn’t the best at talking to people about their feelings, but she was great at reading them, especially when she knew the person well. But anyone could have realized something was off with Adrien that morning.

He was lying facedown at his desk, with his head buried in his arms. Alix walked by, and he picked up his head for a moment; when he registered who it was, he groaned and laid his head back down. She gave him a sidelong glance and sent him a text.

From: Chloé

Everything ok Adrikins?

Nino’s at the dentist

How does he live like this when I’m not here

I’m so lonely

Bitch you still have me!!

Yeah thats true

Shit actually

Can I ask you something?

Do I have to do anything?

No it’s just like your opinion

?

Do you think I’m in love w Nino

Or I guess does it Seem like it

Like romantically

Idk

Are you?

Adrien took a long time answering, and the reply bubble kept flickering in and out of view. For a long moment, the bubble stayed there while Adrien typed out what seemed to be a lengthy reply, and the pulsing dots kept up a steady beat. Then it disappeared again.

Idk

Chloé looked over at him again. His hands were in his lap, hiding his phone from the teacher’s view, but his forehead still rested on the desk. She had a feeling his face was red.

Lol don’t hurt yourself

No I mean

Just idk

Can we talk about this later actually

I should pay attention I’m supposed to be taking notes for Nino

K whatever

The reply bubble popped up again, and the dots tapped out a quick beat, before disappearing again without leaving behind a new message. When she glanced over at him from the corner of her eye, she saw Adrien staring stone-faced at the front of the room.

Well, she’d pull it out of him later.

Nino was back after lunch, and Adrien seemed back to normal. Chloé had never really paid attention to their friendship before. It didn’t involve her, and in fact was actively taking away time she could be spending with Adrien, so why should she care? But now that Adrien had called her attention to it, she zeroed in on them.

Why did boys have to be so weird with their friends? she wondered. The longer she paid attention to them, the more boring she found it, and she came to the conclusion that Adrien was only second-guessing himself because they were acting like normal friends, which guys weren’t allowed to do. It was probably only when he started comparing his friendship with Nino to his friendships with Kim, or Ivan, or any other guys, that he started feeling weird. Nino was obviously more into Chat Noir than he was Adrien, anyway.

Adrien’s father didn’t let guests over very often, but it was even more rare for him to allow Adrien to visit a friend’s house, so when given a choice between the two options, he opted for the former. Chloé managed to get permission to ride home with Adrien, under the guise of some group project. Their years of history probably swayed things in her favor.

When they got to his room, Nathalie sternly insisted they keep the door open. Chloé and Adrien rolled their eyes behind her back.

They could hear her downstairs, walking delicately enough that her footsteps wouldn’t interfere with her ability to eavesdrop on them. Chloé knew that trick well; the housekeeping staff at the hotel had practically invented that technique because you never knew when someone famous would show up to rent a room.

Chloé rummaged around in her backpack for a moment, pulling out books and paper like she was actually about to get to work, until she found what she was really looking for. Leaving everything else strewn across Adrien’s floor, she produced what looked like a replica of Ladybug’s yo-yo. Then she pressed the center dot, and a blue light turned on, and Adrien realized it was a wireless speaker.

She turned some music on, and turned the volume up. It was petty, but she knew Nathalie hated J-pop.

“Alright, so,” Chloé began, throwing herself dramatically onto the sofa.

But Adrien held up a hand and tilted his head toward the still-open door. After a few seconds, Nathalie reappeared.

“Would you please keep it down?” Nathalie asked. “Mr. Agreste is on a very important call right now.”

“Sorry,” Chloé shrugged. “It’s part of our assignment. We have to take a modern song and analyze it and compare it to a classical poem from the textbook.”

Adrien stared at her. He’d never seen her lie so flawlessly under pressure. Normally she just relied on her natural charm and cuteness, but Nathalie was immune to that sort of thing.

“We could always close the door,” Chloé continued. “But wait, that’s not allowed. I forgot. I guess we could always use headphones. C’mere, Adrikins. I only have one pair; we’ll have to share. You can sit in my lap.”

Nathalie sighed heavily and pulled the door shut behind her. “Behave,” she called out sharply, before it clicked shut.

Chloé leaned back against the cushions, giggling. Adrien frowned.

“Oh, come on!” she protested. “It’s not like we’re going to do anything. She should know that.”

He came over and sat down next to her. “I mean, for a while everyone thought you were in love with me. I can see where she’s coming from.”

“Yeah?” Chloé snorted. “Guess I managed to convince everyone but myself of that.”

“You know it’s my dad’s rule, not hers,” he reminded her. “She’s just following it.”

Chloé flipped her hair. “Yeah, well, it’s a dumb rule. I bet it’s only when you have a girl over, isn’t it? You don’t have to keep the door open when stupid Nino’s around.”

Adrien blushed. “What do you—I mean, why would the door need to be closed? When he’s over. What would we—“

She leaned forward. “Uh huh.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “What did you want to talk about, then? I thought literally the only reason I was here was because you’re not sure you’re no-homo-ing hard enough.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Adrien protested.

She rolled her eyes. “If you ask me, and you did, it doesn’t seem like you’re in love with him. But I mean, I guess it depends. Do you like Nino?”

“I don’t know!” he insisted. He sighed and lolled his head back, staring angrily up at the ceiling. “It’s confusing, okay? I feel like I like him more than just a friend, but I don’t know if I’d call it a crush.” He looked back over at her. “It’s just, like… I wouldn’t hate the idea of us being together, you know?”

Chloé shrugged. “Okay, so? What if he started dating some other guy? How would you feel about that? He’s obviously into Chat Noir; what if he decided to do something about that?”

Adrien imagined it. Nino, telling a story, and saying “ My boyfriend, Chat Noir. ” Chat stopping in to check on Nino after a nearby akuma attack, and stealing a quick kiss before leaving. Even just thinking about it made his heart clench.

“I…” He thought about something else, imagining a time where his date with Marinette had turned out all right, and she liked him back. Or Nino with Alya, or Kim, or some nameless, faceless, genderless stranger. He had been unsettled before, thinking about Nino and Chat, but he clearly identified a new feeling now: jealousy.

“I guess… I don’t know, Chlo,” he admitted. “I’m not sure if I’d necessarily want to date him, but I definitely don’t want to see him dating anyone else.”

“That sounds… well, not super great,” she replied frankly. “He’s not just going to sit around single forever, waiting for you to make up your mind whether you like him or not.”

“I don’t mean--” Adrien interrupted, but she carried on over him.

“Maybe you’re just, I don’t know, nervous?” Chloé continued. “Which is dumb, because you don’t need to be. You’re cute, and rich, and weirdly nice to, like, everybody. My therapist says that you should only be friends with someone if you truly like them as a person, so you’ve clearly got that with him.”

Adrien frowned. “Yeah, but--”

“Listen, if I liked guys, I’d date you. I would bet you ten euros that if you asked him out, he’d say yes.” She picked up her phone, signalling an end to the conversation.

“I don’t know…”

“I mean, you could spend hours talking yourself in circles,” she said. “But to me, the answer’s pretty clear.” She reclined on the couch, and looked up from her phone for a second, meeting Adrien’s eyes with a steady, piercing blue stare. “The only question is, are you going to do something about it?”

“I’m going to go back in time and kill whoever invented algebra,” Nino complained. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in his living room, their math homework scattered over the coffee table.

“Good luck with that,” Alya said distractedly, scribbling something down. She looked up from her paper and squinted across at him. “What number did you need help with?”

He coughed nervously. “Um, all of them?”

Marinette checked her watch and scrambled up from where she had been laying on the couch. “Actually, Nino, it’s pretty late. I’ve got to be home soon.”

“Wait, really?” Alya snatched up her phone. “Shit. I was supposed to be home half an hour ago.”

“Bro.” Nino stared desperately as the girls started to pack their things. “Seriously?”

“I’m sorry!” Marinette said. She handed over her notes. “Here. You can keep these until class tomorrow. My parents will kill me if I miss curfew one more time.”

He turned to Alya, who shrugged helplessly. “I’m already dead,” she said, struggling to put her coat on inside-out. She hurried over and kissed him on the forehead. “Text me if you have any questions.”

Marinette flipped Alya’s jacket and helped her into it, and then they left. Slowly, Nino gathered his homework back up and trudged back to his bedroom. He threw it all on his desk and threw himself onto his bed, sighing. “Fuck.”

His mind was fried. He’d get back to it in a little bit; besides, he reasoned, he needed to wait for Alya to get home before he could ask for help again. And now that he was laying down, he really didn’t want to get back up again.

He rolled onto his side, staring out his window as he tried to clear his mind. But he realized with a start that something was staring back at him; Chat Noir stood outside his window, hand poised to knock on the glass, but he’d frozen when Nino locked eyes with him.

Nino scrambled over and slid the window open, but this time, Chat stayed outside, looking around Nino’s bedroom nervously.

“Uh… Hi. Can I--I mean, do you mind if I come in?”

“Holy… I mean, ye-yeah! Definitely!” Nino sputtered, stepping back to let him in.

Chat didn’t move very far into the room, and stood just a few inches away from the open window once inside. The brisk air behind him made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and he scratched at it nervously.

“Sorry, I know it’s late,” he began.

“No!” Nino replied. “Well, I mean, yeah, I guess it is, but it’s fine!”

“Cool. Right, okay.” Chat grinned uncertainly. “I was just wondering if you were doing anything right now.”

“Nah.” Nino struggled to remain nonchalant. “Well, I’ve got some math homework, but I literally have no idea what I’m doing, so it can wait.”

“No, man, you should…” Chat shrugged. “I mean, maybe I could help? If you wanted.”

“Really? That would be awesome!”

Nino walked over to his desk and tried to sort out the mess of homework again. “Um, sorry, I’ve only got the one chair…” he said.

“It’s cool,” Chat replied. “You sit. I can stand.”

Nino did, and Chat came over to get a closer look at the homework. Of course, he’d just finished his own a few hours beforehand, and it was easy enough to recall.

He pointed. “Okay, here, see how you have to square x ? And here, x is negative three, so you write it as minus three, but you have to remember it’s actually plus a negative.”

“Yeah…” Nino said slowly. “I get that. But it basically means the same thing, right?”

Chat nodded. “But you have to remember that the negative is part of the x .” He reached across Nino for a pencil, and leaned down to draw a pair of parentheses in the equation. “So when you square negative three, you end up with positive nine. Here, you just squared the three, and you end up with minus nine.”

Nino took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “Oh. I need to re-do all of this now, don’t I?”

“I mean, you should only have to do half of it,” Chat said optimistically. “But once you fix all the negative x numbers, your graphs should be the right shape.”

“Okay. Shit . That’s a lot of work,” Nino groaned. “I’ll do it later. What about the multiple choice thing? Alya said number five is wrong, but I don’t get it.”

“Which one’s-- Oh. Okay.” Chat pointed at the page. “See, this one looks like it should be a possible graph because it’s the parabola shape Mr.--I mean, everyone talks about.”

“Yeah,” Nino agreed. “If it’s got x squared, it’s a U-shape.”

“Right,” Chat answered. “But the important thing is, it’s an up or down U-shape. If it’s sideways, it’s wrong.”

“How do you know that?” Nino asked. “And, like, the third one? I’ve never seen that one before. How that not the wrong answer?”

“Just because you’ve never seen something,” Chat reasoned, “doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

Nino laughed. “That’s deep.”

“Well, it’s true!” Chat grinned. “Like, I’ve never actually seen Ladybug’s kwami, but I know they exist.”

“Ladybug’s what now?” Nino turned towards Chat.

“It’s, uh… Never mind. Not important.” Chat was shocked at how close they suddenly were. Standing above him, he was so much taller, but once he leaned down they were practically nose-to-nose.

Nino was just as surprised, and he couldn’t stop himself from staring. Chat’s eyelashes were surprisingly long, and up close, he could see the sliver of space between his mask and his skin as it curled over his nose.

He idly wondered, if he could managed to get his finger under there, if he’d be able to lift the whole thing off. Then his eyes wandered back up, to see if a similar gap was present around his eyes. But he found himself caught; he couldn’t break his gaze from Chat’s. They looked at each other, spellbound.

Chat became aware that his mouth had dropped open and realized he was probably gaping like a fish. He coughed, breaking the silence, and turned away quickly.

Nino snatched up his glasses and pushed them back up his nose. They both stared at the math textbook for a moment, trying to catch their bearings.

“Right,” Chat said. “So, um, see, his graph actually is possible. We haven’t gotten to it yet, but if you divide by x, it would look like that.”

Nino kept his face trained downward. “So, how do you tell when it’s actually possible, and when it’s just made up bullshit?”

“Every x can only have one output, right? So you can just draw a vertical line down the graph, and if it hits more than once--”

“It’s not valid,” Nino answered, grinning.

Chat snorted. “Yeah. Only some graphs are valid.”

Nino sighed. “ Math isn’t valid.”

Chat clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Math may not be valid, but you are, bro.”

“Fuck, dude, you too,” Nino replied.

Chat let his hand rest on Nino’s shoulder.

“So, anything else you need help with?” he asked.

Nino scanned over his homework. “Uh… probably? I mean, I’m not sure.”

Chat leaned in a little closer. “All right. I’m here when you need me.”

Nino turned slightly, and smiled. “I know. Thanks.”