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Nino bopped his head to the upbeat music, tuning out the regular noises that came with a classroom in the morning. He was waiting in his seat for a certain blond to enter the room, and he just hoped no one would ask him why he was grinning so widely to nothing in particular — there were plenty of excuses to give, but he had a track record of botching the delivery. Something he had just narrowly escaped last night.
After the talk with Adrien in the little hideout Nino had built with Noël the other week, it had been quite the mission to sneak this gigantic gift basket home. Getting it up the stairs had been a struggle all in itself, which didn’t at all compare to the difficulty of sneaking it past his parents and brother, and into his room. There would have been no way in hell that he could have explained that basket without outing Adrien in front of his family, and he didn’t want to do that to his friend. Sure, he had seemed more than thrilled to find out Nino was a werebeast too, but this was Adrien’s secret to tell, not Nino’s. Now he just needed to figure out how to explain an unholy amount of meat in the fridge once he got home.
A quick movement caught his eye, and before he could even properly look up, Marinette had already darted past him and slumped down in her seat, head on the desk. She hadn’t been quite fast enough to hide her burning cheeks from him though. Nino took off his headphones and turned around to her.
“You alright, Mar?”
It was hard to contain his amusement, because recently, nine times out of ten, this kind of reaction was caused by one thing only — or rather one person. She lifted her head with a grimace.
“Don’t start.”
He raised his hands in innocence. “I didn’t say a thing about whatever this–” he gestured at her slumped posture, “–is. But hypothetically, if it had something to do with my best bud, then I could drop him some hints for you?”
Her eyes widened in horror. “Don’t you dare!”
Nino snickered. “Relax, I’m not gonna sabotage you.”
“You might without noticing! What if you say something about me but he’ll be like ‘oh wow, this is weird’ and then he’ll hate me forever and–”
“Not gonna happen.”
“But it could!”
An entire month had passed with no apparent change in her behaviour, apart from catastrophizing further and further every time he talked to her. Adrien, on the other hand, had grown more disheartened by the day, asking him if Marinette hated him and if he had done something wrong, or, the most absurd one yet: if she was still mad at him about the gum thing from that first day. Every time the topic came up, Nino assured Adrien that Marinette didn’t hold grudges, but it never seemed to completely soothe his best friend’s worries. The conversation always started anew within days and there was only so much reassuring that Nino could do. An intervention was overdue.
“Mar, listen. If you want any kind of progress with him, you gotta stop putting him on such a pedestal. Just treat him like a normal person, like you treat me, or Alya, or anyone else in class. Well, except for Chloé, but you get the point, right?”
“I can’t just do that, Nino! I mean he’s…”
Marinette wildly gesticulated with her hands while she was seemingly looking for the right word to describe Adrien.
“I get that you get nervous, but at least try it, okay? My dude deserves that much respect, especially if you like him as much as I think you do.”
Marinette buried her face in her hands and groaned.
“I just don’t want to embarrass myself by saying something stupid by accident!”
Nino had to keep himself from laughing out loud when he thought about Adrien’s hilarious flounder at speaking Beast the other night.
“Fair,” he said when he was sure that he wouldn’t accidentally start snickering. “Even though it wouldn’t be as bad as you think.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Trust me, Adrien has said much more embarrassing things to me than you could ever say to him. If anything, he could relate.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“You’d be surprised.”
It was at that moment that Nino caught a conversation between two very familiar voices outside that drew closer to the open classroom door.
“Speak of the devil,” was the only warning he gave Marinette before Alya and Adrien entered the room, both of them gushing about the Ladyblog.
Nino noticed out of the corner of his eye how Marinette immediately straightened up in her seat, but he had only half a second to be amused by it. The moment Adrien saw him, his happy chatter with Alya ended and he honest-to-God pounced. Nino hit the bench with his shoulder but only got a strangled umph out while Adrien hugged the breath out of him. He didn’t hesitate even a second to hug his best bud back.
“Good morning, Nino!”
He seemed oblivious to the fact that the entire room had gone silent and was now staring at them. Which… fair. Literal model student and “perfect boy” Adrien Agreste had just glomped someone. This was about as unexpected as Chloé handing out genuine compliments — okay, probably not that improbable, but still surprising enough.
“Morning, bro. Someone is enthusiastic today,” Nino said with a chuckle as he lightly pushed both of them into a normal sitting position.
Not that he wasn’t enthusiastic as well. In fact, he was thrilled that one of the new kids at school hadn’t just become his best friend, but had also turned out to be a werebeast too! A rare werecat at that! This was by far the best school year ever!
Nino was morbidly curious about Marinette’s reaction to Adrien’s sudden attack greeting, but he kept himself from turning around. He had given her a nudge, Adrien had made a spectacular example of how chaotic he could be, and now she’d just need to puzzle this out for herself.
“I’m just so excited! I–” Adrien cut himself off and rubbed his neck sheepishly.
“Bro, I get it, don’t worry,” Nino said and nudged him. “Wanna hang out at my place after school today?”
Adrien’s demeanour changed from cheerful to dejected in a matter of seconds and Nino didn’t like it one bit.
“I… I don’t know if I can. There’s a photoshoot in the afternoon and they run late sometimes.”
If negative emotions weren’t a hazard lately, he would stew over ways to get rid of Gabriel Agreste now. Alas, the last time he had done that, he had ruined his friend’s birthday party.
“No biggie, how about tomorrow then?”
Adrien turned around to him with sparkles in his eyes. “Really?”
Nino put a hand on his shoulder. “Dude, you’re coming to my place the next chance you get, it’s an open invitation. Just tell me when you’re coming by, though, so I can give Maman a heads up.”
“Thanks, Nino.” Adrien’s smile was bright enough to light up the room, and Nino couldn’t help but grin back. But before he could respond, Alya butted in with a raised eyebrow.
“Hold up, what’s this about secret hangouts? Are you two plotting something without me?” she teased, crossing her arms with mock offense.
Nino laughed, shaking his head. “Nah, no plots, I swear. Just some good old-fashioned bro time.”
“Bro time, huh?” Alya smirked, glancing between them. “Sounds suspicious to me.”
Adrien chuckled nervously, his fingers twitching at his sides. “It’s nothing, really. Nino’s just been super cool about… stuff.”
Alya’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was trying to read between the lines. “Uh-huh. Well, if you two do start scheming, let me know. I wouldn’t want to miss out on anything juicy.”
Nino waved her off with a laugh. “You’ll be the first to know, promise.”
Satisfied, Alya turned her attention back to Marinette, who was suddenly busy reorganizing the contents of her bag with more force than necessary. Nino caught the tiniest hint of pink on her cheeks, but decided to leave her be. She’d figure things out eventually.
Or at least, he hoped she would.
─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The rest of the school day passed in a blur, punctuated by the usual chaos of lessons, Chloé’s snarky comments, and Kim daring people to do increasingly ridiculous things during lunch. Through it all, Nino couldn’t help but notice how much lighter Adrien seemed today — as if he’d finally let out a breath he’d been holding for too long. Maybe it was because of the time they’d spent together last night with their shared secret, or maybe Adrien just needed someone to confide in. Either way, Nino felt good knowing he could be there for his best friend.
By the time the final bell rang, Nino was ready to head home, but he caught sight of Adrien lingering by the classroom door, his phone in hand and a nervous energy radiating off him.
“Yo, you good?” Nino asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
Adrien looked up, startled, before quickly pasting on a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, totally. Just… texting Nathalie.”
Nino raised an eyebrow. “You sure? You’ve got that ‘something’s bothering me’ look.”
Adrien hesitated, his fingers tightening around his phone. “It’s just… you know how I said I had a photoshoot? I overheard my dad talking about adding more shoots this month. I’m worried I won’t have time for, well… anything.”
Nino frowned, his grip tightening on the strap of his bag. “Man, that sucks. Have you tried talking to him about it?”
Adrien let out a bitter laugh. “Talking to my father is like talking to a brick wall. He listens when it suits him, and that’s about it.”
“That’s rough, buddy,” Nino said, clapping a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “But hey, you’ve got us. Me, Alya, Marinette — we’ve got your back, no matter what.”
Adrien’s smile softened a little, though it still looked strained. “Thanks, Nino. That means a lot.”
As they left the classroom together, Nino couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Adrien’s worries than just Gabriel’s suffocating schedule. The way Adrien kept glancing at his phone, almost like it was a ticking time bomb, nagged at Nino.
“Alright, spill,” Nino said as they walked down the hallway. “It’s not just the shoots, is it?”
Adrien’s shoulders tensed, and he glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot. “It’s… I’m fine. Just… stressed, I guess. Between school, modelling, and, you know, everything else.”
Nino didn’t buy it. “Everything else, huh? You mean finding time to do werecat stuff?”
Adrien winced, glancing around quickly to make sure no one had heard. “Sort of. I mean, I’ve been managing okay. I’ve gone without shifting for a while before, so it’s not a big deal.”
Something about the way Adrien said it set off alarm bells in Nino’s head.
“Define ‘a while,’” he said, narrowing his eyes. Two days? Three days? A week? The sheer thought of not shifting for a whole week was ridiculous.
Adrien hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. “I mean… once, I went two weeks without shifting. It wasn’t great, but I handled it.”
Nino froze. “Two weeks!? Dude, are you insane?” Nino’s voice came out louder than intended, and Adrien winced, gesturing for him to keep it down.
“Shhh!” Adrien glanced nervously down the hallway. “Yeah, two weeks. It’s not ideal, but I didn’t have a choice. It was a trip to Milan and Father kept me busy with shoots, fittings, events… and, well, I told you how he feels about me being a werecat. But I didn’t explode or anything, so–”
“Adrien.” Nino cut him off, his voice serious. “You cannot do that again. Like, ever. That’s not just bad; that’s dangerous! Do you know what happens if you hold it back for too long?”
Adrien shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. “Yeah, I get it — irritation, restlessness, maybe a forced shift. I’m careful, though.”
Nino groaned and ran a hand down his face. “Careful? Bro, that’s like saying you’re ‘careful’ with a lit stick of dynamite! Forced shifts aren’t just risky; they’re uncontrollable! You could end up hurting yourself or someone else, and don’t even get me started on how this could expose the existence of werebeasts to the world if it happens to you in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Adrien sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know, Nino. Believe me, I know. I just… I didn’t want anyone to worry, okay? I’ve handled it before.”
“Yeah, and I bet it was miserable,” Nino said, still shocked. “Look, you can’t keep pushing yourself like that. If Gabriel’s got you on lockdown, we need to figure out a way for you to get the time you need. Otherwise, it’s not just you who’ll pay the price.”
Adrien looked at him, guilt flickering in his eyes. “I’ll try to figure something out. I promise.”
Nino wasn’t satisfied with that. “Nah, no way I’m leaving this to chance. Remember that dinner invite from this morning? Come as soon as you can. Not only are my parents dying to get to know you, but they can help. And even if they won’t be able to convince your dad of common sense, you’d still have adults to talk to who will know what you need and can give you advice.”
Adrien blinked, startled. “You really think so? I mean… they don’t even know me yet, and I’m a werecat not a werewolf, so…” He sighed. “Are they really okay with me dropping in at short notice with something like that?”
“Yeah, man! You’re part of the pack now — metaphorically speaking for now,” Nino added with a grin. “And trust me, my family will love you. Plus, you’d get a solid meal and a chance to shift without worrying about anyone judging you.”
Adrien hesitated, clearly torn. “I don’t know… My father–”
“Would probably be less of a problem if we could figure out a way to keep him off your back about this,” Nino interjected. “Come on, bro. You don’t have to do this alone.”
After a long moment, Adrien finally nodded. “Alright. Dinner at your place. But… you’ll have to help me come up with an excuse for my father.”
“Leave that to me.” Nino grinned, clapping Adrien on the back. “Trust me, dude. You’re in good hands.”
As they headed out of the school together, Nino felt a new sense of determination settle in. He wasn’t just Adrien’s best friend now — he was someone Adrien could count on to keep him safe, no matter what.