Day 1: Friends

The screen flashed a familiar "Player 2 Wins" as groans and cheers erupted around him.

"I can't believe this! There's just no way!" Nino complained. "Are you cheating or something?"

"What's the matter, Nino? Never imagine yourself getting beat by a girl?" Alya sassed back.

Nino set his controller down. "It's not that, I just don't get how she's won twelve times in a row!"

Marinette leaned her elbows onto the back of the couch. "You should be used to it by now. I've beat you at least that many times before."

"That I'm used to…" he muttered. He turned to Adrien. "Where did you even find this girl?"

Kagami stood from her seat to grab a soda. "He didn't have to find me anywhere. This was my idea after all." She took a drink. "Well, mine and Alya's."

The banter continued, and Adrien sat back in his seat, a small smile on his face. He could hardly remember a time when he was this content. Sitting on the rooftops with Ladybug during a lull in Akuma activity came close, but even that was different. Here, there were no masks, no hidden names, no carefully constructed conversations so as to avoid giving too much away. Even as he struggled to put a name to this his smile widened, watching Kagami and Marinette face off next on the game consol.

"Now that is a great face."

Adrien turned to the voice, finding Luka handing him a drink. Adrien accepted it. "What do you mean?"

"Your face just now. I've seen some of your ads around the city, but none of them look as genuine as what you're wearing now." Luka said, pointing to the model's face.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. None of them have this going on though, so… yeah." He gestured out to the group cheering on the two girls. Nino was calling for Marinette to avenge him, while Alya played devil's advocate and cheered for Kagami. "Actually, I don't think I've ever had this before." Adrien shrugged.

"What? Friends?" Luka asked, raising an eyebrow.

Then it dawned on Adrien. The this he'd been unable to name was friendship. It wasn't the love and companionship he felt for Ladybug, it wasn't the mobs of fans and admirers at school, or even the clinging closeness he shared with Chloe. The warmth in his chest when Nino gave him a fist bump or Alya suggested they do something as a group, the light feeling he got even when Kagami bested him with a sabre, the confidence he got when Luka complimented his keyboard-playing. It was friendship. Even the concern he felt when Marinette stumble over her feet. The happiness that filled him when he saw her laugh or blush from words of praise. Surely that was friendship, too.

"Well, yeah." He finally answered, smiling. Luka's eyes widened, and he recognized pity in them, but it only made Adrien's smile bigger. It wasn't the pity of an adult about his "sad life", it was the concern of a friend.

Adrien looked back at the screen just in time to see "Player 1 Wins" pop up. Marinette jumped up and did a victory dance, holding her controller up in the air. Kagami, though mildly annoyed at her loss, smiled at Marinette's display. Nino whooped and picked Marinette up in a hug, while Alya shook her head.

Adrien sighed and looked back at Luka. "Aren't our friends great?" he asked. Luka smiled back.

"They really are." He agreed.

AN: Just a quick exercise. I wanted a scene of what Adrien's life might be like now that his friendship circle is expanding, and how he would feel about that.

This was for Adrien Appreciation week!