Work Text:
Adrien scanned the doors as he stepped down the hall, his suitcase rolling over the ground behind him. He found room 32 quickly from when he’d moved his things in, but this time he was much more nervous. According to the woman who had helped him, his roommate had moved in this morning. Will he be in there? Adrien wondered, his stomach twisting with anxiety.
He placed the key in the doorknob, taking a deep breath. Maybe he won’t be in there, he thought, but you’ll still have to meet him eventually.
Click. The door unlocked and Adrien gently pushed it open, holding his breath.
At the desk opposite Adrien’s sat a young man his age. He had a red baseball cap and was listening to music, his head gently bobbing as he was writing something down on a piece of paper. Adrien found himself gazing at the other student. N. Lahiffe, if Adrien was remember correctly. There was something about him that made Adrien feel… curious? He wasn’t so in tune with his emotions here, he wouldn’t be for a long time.
“Hi.” Adrien hadn’t closed the door yet, not wanting to spook his roommate. The other student turned in his chair, pressing pause on his phone and slipping his headphones onto his neck.
“Hey! You must be Adrien, right? I’m Nino.” He said, standing up.
Adrien nodded, closing the door behind him and reaching to shake Nino’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Nino.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, dude.” He shook Adrien’s hand with a swift motion, then sat back in his chair.
A drien nodded, sitting in his chair across from Nino.
“What are you studying?” Nino asked, placing his hands behind his neck in a relaxed pose. Adrien couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something special about him, something he should notice.
“I don’t really know yet, I’m just getting general education stuff for now. I was kind of hoping I’d figure it out on the way.” Adrien said, easing up a bit.
“That’s cool, I wanna do audio stuff, producing, DJing, the works. You’re a freshman too, right?” Nino said, “Seems like there’s not much we can do as freshmen,” he added with a sigh.
Adrien nodded, “I hear they have fencing though, I was thinking of doing that, keeping up my skills.”
“Isn’t it super competitive?”
“Well, I didn’t train under the top fencing instructor in France for nothing.” Adrien said, his confidence building with every word.
Nino smiled, “Well, I’m certainly not good enough for any of the sports, but I wish you good luck on that.”
“Thanks, you too.”
“We should talk more later. I gotta go now, have some paperwork to hand off.”
“Okay, see you tonight!”
“Later dude!” With that, Nino stood up. And for a moment, the sunset caught on his face, lighting him in glorious red and golden light. Adrien felt his breath caught in his throat, for just that moment. The moment passed, and Nino slipped out the door without another word, but some emotion remained in Adrien, something he didn’t recognize.
He wouldn’t realize it was romantic, he wouldn’t for a long time.