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Plagg rolled his eyes, watching his holder straighten up his already immaculately clean room. He threw the piece of camembert in his paws into the air, catching it whole and enjoying the gooey goodness. A nice happy belch left him, and Adrien turned to him with a heavy sigh, "Can you NOT eat so much right now? The guys are coming over and I don't want my room to stink more than it already does."
The little kwami of destruction huffed offended, "Your room is JUST starting to smell decent!"
There was a knock at the door and Adrien whispered hurriedly, "Hide Plagg, and stay hidden, please."
Plagg disappeared to the upper level, finding a nice cozy spot where the light from the window hit just right. He wasn't planning on moving from that spot any time soon.
Adrien stood near his couch, practically radiating happiness as the door opened and Nathalie told him, already looking worried, "Your… friends… are here."
Kim, Max, Nino, Ivan, and Luka walked in, greeting him sounding excastic. "DUDE!"
The guys had a short bout of pushing and shoving amongst their rapid fist bumps, and Nathalie cleared her throat loudly. "Boys."
All six of them went frozen at her tone, her eyes piercing through all of them at once without fear, "I would also like to remind the lot of you that should ANYTHING become broken in this room, this will be the very last time a sleepover of this nature occurs. Is. That. Clear?"
The boys all nodded, fearful of the secretary who had gone out of her way to make this happen. Nathalie readjusted her glasses unnecessarily and said it back in her even tone, "I need pizza orders in one hour, with a count of how many to get, or you will starve."
"Thank you Nathalie." Adrien said, giving the intimidating woman a small smile that she barely returned before turning to leave.
The guys exchanged careful glances before raising their fists into the air in triumph, "BOYS NIGHT IS ON!"
Ivan lifted Adrien into a bear-hug, practically crushing his lungs. Adrien wheezed out a laugh before Ivan set him down. Kim was already eyeing the rock wall, "You guys want to race to the top?"
Luka smirked, "Not a chance." He walked over to the foosball table and Nino followed him, "Yeah Kim, no one wants to deal with your ridiculous competitiveness dude."
Max opened the duffle he was carrying and Markov flew out, scanning the room quickly, "This isn't your room Max."
Max smiled at the little robot, "No, remember, tonight we are staying at Adrien's?"
Markov had a question mark on his face before it turned into an exclamation point, "Oh, event - 'Boys Only', I remember."
The guys laughed a bit, starting a round of foosball as Kim attempted the rock wall, all of them trying to decide on what kind of pizzas they wanted, and just how many they'd actually eat. When Nathalie showed up to get their order, her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets, "Excuse me. You said, fifteen, correct?"
Luka nodded at her, "Uh, yes ma'am."
Nathalie pinched the bridge of her nose before turning away, "Fine." She walked out and Kim said it from across the room, "Yo Agreste, what's with the wall of Chat Noir you've got going on over here?"
Adrien turned to him, Nino and Ivan getting past his defenses and scoring another point on the foosball table while he was distracted, "BOO YA!"
He told Kim seriously, confused by the gleam in the athletic boys eye, "What do you mean? Something wrong with it?"
He walked over, Markov hovering near him as Nino and Ivan followed him; Luka hanging back a bit.
"Dude, obsessed much?" Kim teased.
"Yeah, that's what it is." Adrien said, rolling his eyes. "Chat Noir is a hero, tell me you don't admire him or Ladybug."
Kim held his hands up in surrender, "Admire sure, but you literally have a near shrine,"
"It's not a shrine!" Adrien said, offended. He liked having those pictures of himself on the wall. There was a reason they were out of normal sight. These were pictures of himself, being who he really was. Chat Noir was flawed and vulnerable, open and protective. The embodiment of the freedom he longed for. They reminded him of how he wanted to be, not the 'perfect' son that everyone thought he was.
"A little defensive there, huh Adrien?" Ivan said, smirking.
He turned to the usual gentle giant in shock, "De-Defensive? I'm not being defensive."
Nino and Luka exchanged small smiles and he told them harder, "I'm not! Chat Noir is everything I want to be. He's free and courageous and strong, so sue me for having a few pictures-"
"39." Markov said suddenly. "There are 39 individual pictures of Chat Noir here."
Max whistled, "Impressive."
Nino muttered it to Luka, but with his hearing having been affected by the miraculous, he heard the words clearly, "He'd give Marinette a run for her money as far as shrine's go."
Luka chuckled, like there was some inside joke going on that he wasn't aware of. The knowledge only made him pout more. Kim put an arm over his shoulder heavily, smirking wickedly, "Don't worry Agreste. Your secret is safe with us."
He froze, his gaze turning to all of his friends who wore the same knowing expression on their faces. There was no way they could know the truth. He had never done anything that would even make them suspect him. There was no way a collage of pictures would give away his secret.
"Wh-What do you mean?" He asked innocently, hoping that the shaking in his voice was hidden.
Kim's smirk widened, "Dude, you can't lie to save your life. It's all right, we don't care if you have a thing for Chat Noir."
Green eyes widened in horror. "WHAT?! I d- I don't have a THING for Chat Noir!"
Markov said it automatically, "Your heart rate increases every time someone says Chat Noir."
Max hummed, "That is usually a sign of nerves. We don't care if you are gay Adrien."
Kim elbowed him in the side, "Even if you are just gay for Chat Noir."
Luka said it appreciately, "Well, if there was ever a guy to go gay for, Chat Noir is in my top three so you aren't the only one Adrien."
Nino threw his head back and laughed, "Dude me too! I mean, have you actually seen that cat's muscles? The dude is totally ripped!"
Ivan hummed, "He is pretty strong. I guess he has nice hair. I wonder how soft it is."
Max nodded before telling them, "I've had the privilege of seeing his eyes up close, they are greener than Adrien's if you can believe it. They are quite stunning."
Adrien was beet red and absolutely silent, listening to his friends point out all these things about him. Their voices turned to white noise, only small tendrils of actual words coming through and making sense.
Nice butt.
Long legs.
Cute face.
Kim lifted his shirt suddenly, "Guys, I'm probably ten times better looking than Chat Noir just on my abs alone."
"Your attitude sucks." Nino said instantly, "Total turn off."
"And Chat Noir is a sweetheart under all that bravado." Luka said instantly, "He has a good heart, and always takes time to check on the akuma victims after the fight. He cares about the people of Paris,"
"Yeah, but he probably cares about Ladybug just a bit more than that." Nino pointed out.
Adrien still hadn't moved, not understanding how their conversation had gone from him being gay, to all of them practically gushing over his alter ego's looks and personality.
Max smirked slightly, his tone teasing, "Chat Noir cares about Ladybug the way Adrien cares about him."
A riot of laughter permeated his room, and he was sure he was turning red down to his toes. Nino slammed his fist into his open palm, "Adrichat! That's what we'll call it!"
"Dude, that's an epic name!" Kim congratulated him.
Ivan chuckled deeply, "Your girlfriend is rubbing off on you."
Nino said it proudly, "Hey, I listen."
Adrien felt his throat unclench and told them far louder than he meant to, "I'm not in love with Chat Noir guys, I'm in love with Marinette!"
The room fell deathly quiet, all eyes locked on him in various states of shock. No one was probably more shocked than the blonde himself, the confession coming from out of nowhere. His mind was screaming at him that he was in love with Ladybug, but his heart thundering in his chest whispered another story.
A knock startled the group of boys, Nathalie holding the door open for Gorilla who had the giant stack of pizzas in his arms. The large man put the pizzas down on the coffee table, nodding at the boys before leaving.
Nathalie reminded them as she headed towards the door, "I'm sure you are having fun, but actually eat something, and try to go to sleep at a decent time. Adrien doesn't have anything scheduled for tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you all need to stay up all night."
"Y-Yes Nathalie." "Yes ma'am" The guys repeated, all of them barely able to find their voices.
Ivan started looking worriedly between the guitarist and the model, seeing that their gazes were locked on each other. Most of the guys knew firsthand that Luka had a thing for Marinette. It wasn't something the blue haired guitarist tried to exactly hide.
They were all pretty sure that the only person in the room who wasn't aware of their pigtailed classmates' feelings for the blonde was said blonde himself.
Luka let out a deep breath, saying it calmly, "That's, good to hear."
Nino asked, shocked, "It is?"
Luka nodded, his strong gaze still on Adrien, "She's amazing, and deserves to be happy. She needs someone in her life to support her, and be there to catch her when she falls."
"Literally." Kim muttered.
Ivan pushed his arm and Max asked carefully, "What are you planning on doing about it Adrien? Surely you are going to do something."
His hand went to the back of his neck, using it as an excuse to break away from Luka's intense stare. He knew the guitarist was close to Marinette, closer than friends, but now that the truth had spilled past his lips there was no taking it back. He couldn't deny it anymore.
He was in love with Marinette. "I, uh, don't know, just yet. She, she might like someone else."
Luka smiled softly, as the others facepalmed so loudly he could hear the way their hands slapped their faces. "Trust me Adrien," Luka started, "do something about it before it's too late."
"Yeah, before your Chat Noir crush turns real." Kim poked again, causing Adrien to flush.
"I already told you I am NOT crushing on Chat Noir!"
The guys snorted, and Nino told him seriously, "You keep denying it like that dude, and we'll really start to believe it."
"I'm not talking about this anymore." He deadpanned, throwing open the top pizza box and taking a slice.
"Fine, let's talk about something else besides Adrichat." Kim said, grabbing a slice before throwing himself back on Adrien's couch.
"Adrichat is NOT a thing Kim." Adrien said around his food.
Kim waved him off dismissively and Max not so subtly changed the subject, "Did you guys hear the girls talking about some sort of, gardening project?"
Nino choked on his pizza, coughing roughly to clear his throat. "Whoa, chill my man." Kim said surprised, clapping Nino on the back.
Ivan caught it instantly, "Do you know something about it Nino?"
"Huh- what? Me?" Nino asked, his voice cracking from his choking fit and coming out nowhere near convincing.
"You do." Max said, eyeing Nino hard, "Spill it. What are the girls up to?"
"Oh no!" Nino said, shoveling half the pizza slice in his mouth as an excuse to stay quiet. There was only so long someone could chew before they had to swallow, but Nino was testing that limit.
Adrien pressed him slightly, "What is so secretive about a gardening project? Maybe we could help them somehow."
Max stared at him, shaking his head, "Sometimes I forget how truly innocent you are Adrien."
He didn't know how to respond, and Nino told them the second he swallowed, "I am under the statute of boyfriend secrecy. If I say anything, a certain ladyblogger will end me without mercy."
"Is that a real thing?" Adrien asked.
"As serious as the bro code my man." Nino said seriously, the others nodding in agreement.
Adrien knew how serious the bro code was, after various conversations with the guys about it, so he let the subject drop. Thankfully, the rest of their night went mostly uneventful as they finished off the last of the pizza during their video game session. One by one the guys fell asleep in various positions around the couch or on it.
It wasn't until he was sure that they were all asleep that he walked over to his bed and called out to him, "Plagg?"
The destructive little kwami flew down to him right away, a smirk on his face, "Adrichat huh?"
Adrien groaned, "Ugh, you heard that?"
"Oh that is one for the record books kid, make no mistake." Plagg grinned.
"Please let it go Plagg," the boy begged the kwami, lowering his voice further, "I can't date myself."
Plagg snickered, "You sure about that?"
"Yes I'm sure." He said, sitting on the edge of his bed and wondering idly if there actually could be such a way. He shook his head violently to stop the thoughts from clouding his mind. No. It was impossible. He threw himself back, his heavy eyes shutting automatically.
Plagg landed on his chest, telling him softly, "I hope you had fun tonight kid, you deserved it."
He scratched lightly behind his ears, "Thanks Plagg."
Soon enough, he was drifting off to sleep, his dreams filled with his alter ego.
…
Adrien met Nino outside of school, a determined look in the Dj's eyes. "All right. You've got this right?"
He nodded, "Yeah. I can do this."
Nino told him seriously, "Don't. Improvise."
He nodded again, "Stick to the script. Don't be nervous. Don't improvise."
They walked in together. Adrien had one goal to fulfill before the day was over - asking out the amazing girl he'd spent all weekend thinking about. The guys had helped him on Saturday to come up with a plan, but they were all extremely confident that things would go well... if Adrien could just manage to actually get the words out. He'd clammed up so many times practicing with them that their faith in him had started to waver.
They found that he tended to try and make a joke or change the subject when he got nervous, and they all knew that it would only fluster Marinette more if he did that. So, he had a script. It was simple, and straight forward.
Now if his nerves would let this actually work.
He saw Marinette with Alya, glad that she was on time today. Nino gave him a small push in the back when he stopped walking, "Go dude, it's now or never!"
He gathered his courage and walked over to them. The ladyblogger saw him approach and said it brightly, "Good morning Sunshine!"
"Good morning Alya." He said easily, an uneasy feeling in his stomach at just how bright her tone was. "Good morning Marinette." He said softer as he turned his attention to her. She waved, a small smile on her face, "Goigh - Hi! Good morning, Adrien."
Her nervousness actually calmed him. He was almost glad nothing had changed. "If you have a second, do you mind if I steal you from Alya for a minute?"
"St-Steal?!" She squeaked, Alya saying it with a secret grin, "Sure Sunshine, she's all yours."
Alya walked away, and he waited until she was well out of earshot to ask her, "H-How was your weekend?"
"Uh." Marinette started, "F-Fine, it was fine, totally fine. How about yours?"
"Good. The guys slept over." He told her, already off script from what he had rehearsed with the guys. "I… uh… wanted to ask you… if… I mean… if you want, if you aren't busy or anything,"
Oh god, he knew he sounded like an idiot rambling like this.
"ADRICHAT!"
His head whipped around, his face warming as he heard Kim laughing from across the commons. Ivan was near him, stifling his own laugh. He told Kim loudly, "NOT HELPING!"
Kim only laughed louder, and he could swear that he heard Nino laughing too.
He turned his attention back to Marinette, holding her beautiful bluebell eyes as he asked with confidence, "Would you like to go have lunch with me today?"
Marinette turned around, glancing nearby confused before she realized it was just the two of them. Her voice broke, "M-ME?!"
He nodded, his annoyance at Kim stopping the nerves. "Yes, if, you aren't busy that is. If you have other plans I understand really I,"
"No! No I- I don't have other plans I, f-friends," she actually cringed at the word, "friends, have lunch."
He felt his heart clench at the word, but even more so at the look of defeat on her face. He grabbed her hand gently, startling her into looking back up at him, "You are my friend, one of my greatest friends," he lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, watching her face bloom the color of roses, "but I meant, as a date. I, I really like you Marinette, so much more than a friend. Will you be my girlfriend?"
She stared at him for a second as tears filled her eyes. She let go of his hand suddenly and pinched her arm extremely hard, making his eyes widen in shock. "Marinette?"
She slapped her face, shaking her head, "Come on Marinette, wake up. Your alarm is probably blaring, and you need to make it school on time at least once this week."
He let out a genuine laugh, realizing what she was doing. He cupped her cheek, telling her softly, "Marinette this isn't a dream."
She snorted, her stutter completely gone, "Of course it is. This is impossible Adrien. You would only ask me out in my dreams. I might be Ladybug, but even I'm not THAT lucky."
His eyes widened, "Y-Your… Ladybug?"
She rolled her eyes, but pointed to her earrings, "Yep, I bet you don't believe it and don't want anything to do with me anymore huh? You'll go running off with Lila after calling me a liar and,"
He lifted her up from her thighs, spinning her around in circles, "YOU! OF COURSE IT'S YOU! IT'S ALWAYS BEEN YOU!"
Her face flushed red, "Adrien let me go!"
"NEVER!" He screamed in joy, "I'll never let you go! I love you Marinette, I LOVE YOU!"
He finally did let her down, but leaned closer to her without letting her leave his arms. The smile on his face was so big it was starting to hurt, "How many times are you going to make me say it before you believe this stray alley cat, bugaboo?"
"Alley cat… wha-" her eyes widened to saucers, "No. A...A dream. This is a dream."
He winked, "I purromise princess, this is no dream."
The tears spilled past her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck, "Chaton. My Chaton," she whispered, burying herself in his shirt, "Yes…" she whispered before saying it louder as she pulled back with a tearful smile, "YES I'LL BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"
He hugged her tighter, reveling in the moment when the entire world seemed to fall into place.
He walked her to class, kissing her hand again before letting her go to her seat behind him. She asked curiously suddenly after Nino and Alya joined them, "So… what's Adrichat?"
Nino busted out laughing, as did the rest of the boys in their class. Adrien banged his head against the desk twice, telling Nino threateningly, "Say anything to her and I am terminating our friendship."
His threat only pushed Nino to laugh harder as he grabbed his stomach. Alya and Marinette stared at each other confused before she asked again, "Adrien?"
He turned to look at his new girlfriend, saying it trying to sound light, "I'll explain later."
That afternoon as they had lunch, a certain pigtailed bluenette laughed so loudly at the blonde model's explanation that all he could do was groan.