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Adrien slumped over his sandwich, fighting to stay awake. Three late-night photoshoots in one week? Was his father trying to turn him into a zombie at school?
Nino, sitting next to him, looked almost as drained. He had confessed to Adrien that this was because he had stayed up all night making another playlist for his mystery crush. Nino kept chickening out of telling his crush how he felt. He wouldn’t even tell Adrien the person’s name.
Both of them jumped as the lunch table next to theirs erupted into yelling.
“No way!” Kim shouted, showering the table with macaron crumbs. “You’re all out of your minds! I need an objective source.”
Max stood up. “Fine,” he said, crossing his arms. “Allow me to obtain one for you.” He zeroed in on Nino. “Would you care to confirm a hypothesis for us?”
Nino stretched. “I can try. What’s up?”
Nathaniel glanced at Marc. “Nothing much,” he said. “Kim’s just being loud and wrong. As usual.” He wiped crumbs off his sketchbook. “You‘re bi, right?”
“Right,” said Nino with a cautious air. “Why?”
Max took over. “The Ladyblog is running a survey to determine which superheroes are ‘hottest.’ Kim insists that Minotaurox is the clear winner.”
“Because he is!” Kim put in. “You’ve seen the man. He could bench press me, no problem. That’s hot.”
“So you claim,” said Max. He turned back to Nino. “I can’t exactly weigh in on a mode of attraction I do not experience, but Marc and Nathaniel are in agreement.”
“It’s Caprikid,” said Marc.
Nathaniel nodded, flipping through his sketchbook to display a series of drawings of Caprikid in motion. In one, he was saving a swooning Marc. “Majority rules,” said Nathaniel calmly. “Caprikid’s hottest. Anyone with a brain could see that.”
Kim held up his half-empty box of macarons. “Side with me, and I’ll give you five of these.”
“That isn’t fair!” Marc protested. “That’s bribery!”
“It doesn’t matter, because you’re all wrong,” said Nino. The others stared at him, Adrien included.
If Nino picked Carapace, it would be Adrien’s best friendly duty to mock him mercilessly for it when they were alone. If he picked Rena Rouge, Adrien would check in with him to make sure he was as over the breakup as he claimed to be. And if he picked someone else…
An unfamiliar feeling twisted in Adrien’s stomach. Why did he care if Nino found any of the other superheroes hot?
Nothing could have prepared him for Nino’s actual answer.
“It’s Chat Noir,” said Nino. “Obviously.”
Adrien felt his face turn scarlet.
Nino had more to say. “One time, when I twisted my ankle running from Mr. Pigeon, he picked me up and carried me to safety in his arms.” He pretended to swoon. “Besides, he’s a hopeless romantic. You know how I get in relationships. I need someone who can match my intensity.”
Kim shrugged. “He’s all right, I guess. I still think—”
“Think what you want,” said Nino, snagging one of Kim’s macarons and taking a bite. “Chat Noir’s the hottest superhero in Paris. By a mile.”
“Earth to Chat Noir!” Ladybug flapped her cards at him. “Are you okay? It’s your turn, but you look like you’re miles away.”
“Sorry, Bug.” Chat Noir drew a card and surveyed the board. He didn’t have any available moves. “Your turn.”
Ladybug drew a card, playing it immediately. Chat Noir’s eyes widened as she lay down all but one of her cards. “Your turn,” she said with a wink. “Catch me if you can.”
“I’ll try.” Chat Noir drew a new card, but it was hard to focus. “Bug?”
Ladybug took a sip of her smoothie. “Hmm?”
“Can I ask you a weird question?” Chat Noir straightened their draw pile, feeling unaccountably nervous.
“Sure.”
“Okay.” Chat Noir breathed in through his nose. Ladybug was one of the most insightful people he’d ever met. She’d know what to say. “Today at lunch, some of my friends were talking about which superheroes they think are hottest. And one of them—my best friend—said it was me.”
“Hmm,” said Ladybug again. She studied Chat Noir’s face the way she studied the terrain when she had a lucky charm in hand. “And how do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know!” Chat Noir threw down his cards and rubbed his temples. “I knew he was bi, but I didn’t know he felt that way about me.”
Ladybug took another sip of her smoothie. “This is your best friend?”
“Yeah,” said Chat Noir softly. “I don’t know where I’d be without him.” Saying it aloud made his heart race. He was in love with Nino. When had that happened? Part of him wondered if he’d loved Nino since the first day of school. Maybe these feelings had simmered under the surface all along, just waiting for something to make him notice.
“Scarabella is my best friend,” said Ladybug carefully, still watching Chat Noir’s face. “Telling her my identity was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, but it gave me an ally I can turn to for things you can’t help me with. If you need an ally like that, Chat Noir, you have my blessing to tell him.”
Fear and excitement swirled through Chat Noir in an electric cocktail. It felt like his eyeballs were fizzing. “I’ll think about it,” he said at last.
Nino’s stepmother opened the door at the first knock. “Adrien!” she exclaimed, beaming. “What a treat!”
“It’s good to see you too, Ms. Lahiffe,” said Adrien.
“Please,” she said. “Call me Caroline.”
Adrien shifted from foot to foot. Nino’s parents were lovely people, but he wasn’t here to talk to them. “Is Nino here?”
“He’s up in his room,” said Caroline. “Adrien?”
Adrien paused in his rush for the stairs.
“Tell him that your arrival isn’t an excuse for him to stop studying for the chemistry test.”
“I will,” Adrien promised. Now that the moment of truth was upon him, he was shaking.
Nino threw down his textbook at the sight of Adrien. “Dude! How’d you get your old man to let you out of the house?”
“I didn’t,” said Adrien. “I climbed out the window, actually.” As he said it, he realized how insane it sounded.
Nino’s eyes widened. “Is everything okay?” He patted the mattress next to him.
Adrien took a seat. “I’m fine,” he promised. He took a deep breath. “I just kept thinking about what you said at lunch.” It was now or never. Adrien twisted the hem of his shirt between his hands and went for it. “I have something to tell you, dude. It’ll make things different between us, but I want you to know.”
Nino watched him, lips slightly parted. Adrien couldn’t look away from those lips. He wondered what they tasted like.
“Tell me,” said Nino, taking Adrien’s hand and squeezing it. “Whatever it is, I’ll be cool, I promise.”
Nino’s fingers were warm. “Okay,” said Adrien. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”