"You're doing it again," Alya nudged Adrien's arm. She sat next to him in the Dupain-Cheng bakery, a bakery they frequented often for the 'Marinette-friend-exclusive' free treats.
The two of them were sitting across from Marinette and Nino, who had gotten themselves caught up in their own discussion about the importance of music videos. Marinette and Nino had been friends since the fifth grade and their ability to start their own conversation in a group of four proved as much. Being the new kids, Alya and Adrien clicked immediately - bad news for any teachers who didn't appreciate playful snickers from students who were perfectly on task and behaved otherwise. They couldn't send two students to the principal's office for being done with classwork thirty minutes ahead of time just for laughing softly.
So although the four of them had all eventually gotten to know each other and formed an unbreakable bond, there were still two separate pairs that had their own things to talk about.
"Doing what again? I'm just trying to listen to them," Adrien spared Alya a glance before returning his focus back to the chattering pair in front of him.
Alya's upper lip twitched, unimpressed. "You're making the eyes."
"I'm looking at them. You know? The way people who are respectfully listening do?"
"You're looking at him, and no, there's definitely more to it than that."
Adrien glared at her. "I'm listening, Al, I'm listening. What more could I be doing?"
Alya batted her eyes, imitating the sparkling, lovestruck expression Adrien wore just a few seconds ago. "I don't know, maybe you're really into that eclair."
He pouted but said nothing. Instead, he turned back to Marinette and Nino and did the only thing that would get him out of any further questions; he joined the conversation. "Filters are something to take into account."
"That's true!" Marinette smiled, "and then there's lighting, which can really make or break a mood."
Nino pointed his finger at the invisible list of points on the table, "Right, and that's what I'm saying about camera work and editing. The angles, the cuts… it creates pacing that never goes unnoticed."
"It's subconsciously noticed, though. I think wardrobe is something more people relate to," Marinette shrugged.
"But is it really essential? I mean clothes can look nice, I guess-"
"If you saw a chick wearing a nun robe in a twerking video you'd notice."
"That's extreme…"
"I don't think either of those are the most important part of a music video," Adrien interrupted.
Nino and Marinette blinked at him. Adrien paused, he'd mostly said that to suggest a compromise, but he found himself eyeing Nino.
"Well, what about the music itself?" Adrien continued.
Nino raised his eyebrows, shifting from his sideways position to face Adrien fully.
"L-like," Adrien focused the gestures his hands were making, "the sound of the music is different in the music video. Artists put effects on it sometimes to fit the surroundings, or other times there are breaks where you could almost say the visuals are meant to be the music."
Nino's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Hey, yeah! That's a really good point."
Marinette chuckled guiltily. "Sorry, I just realized how wrapped up we got there."
"No, it's ok, it was interesting," Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.
Nino reached his hand across the table, making Adrien flinch before reflexively putting his hand over Nino's. Adrien froze when Nino looked at him oddly.
"O-oh!" Adrien retreated his hand, "i-is that not… is that not what we were doing? I thought- uh…"
Nino laughed, it was a melody that replayed in Adrien's mind over and over again. "Are you trying to protect the plate from me?"
Adrien blinked, his eyes trailing Nino's line of sight. Right beside his elbow was the plate of pastries, which Adrien had forgotten he'd dragged closer to himself. "Um… yes?"
In his peripheral vision, he could see Alya rolling her eyes.
"Well, you're on, dude!" Nino lunged forward, reaching for the plate. Adrien blocked him, his arm briefly indulging in the warmth of Nino's hand.
"Ok, kids," Sabine stood at the doorway next to the stairs as Tom passed her, "we're ready to lock up, I think it's time you all went home before it gets too dark. And I'd suggest you all save some of those leftovers for later, you'll get a stomach ache if you try to finish it now."
Nino released Adrien's arm and eyed him over the rim of his glasses. "You win this round."
Adrien paced around Alya's room, his finger hovering over the enter key of his phone. "'So, when do I get to win the next round?', how's that sound?"
It had been exactly eighteen hours since Nino had challenged him. Whether or not Nino was serious, Adrien wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to pass an opportunity.
"Good, very playful, I like it. Now, sit down and relax. You're doing great, Sweetie."
"But, then what? What am I supposed to tell him if he doesn't catch on?"
"Which, he probably won't..."
"Should I be blunt? Or is that too risky?"
Alya stood up from her desk chair and pushed Adrien to sit on her bed. "Do you trust Nino?"
"Of course!"
"Then tell him, you know Nino would never do anything to hurt you. If things don't work out the way you hoped, things will just go back to normal. Trust me, I think Nino's that kind of guy."
"Well…"
"If you're comfortable, go for it!"
"Ok," Adrien looked determined, pushing his thumb closer to the touchscreen.
"Do it!"
He tapped on the key. Alya cheered as he stared at the sent message. What she didn't know was that the message had immediately been read.
Nino cringed. Now it was bound to be obvious he had already been waiting around in Adrien's messages. He could joke about the coincidence that they texted at the same time, and while that would be true, he wouldn't have an answer if Adrien asked him what he was going to say. Otherwise, it was a relief that Adrien had texted him first, even though it left him with no excuse as to how he read the message so quickly.
He drummed his fingers against the table. This was an important moment. The way he answered Adrien's text was life or death. It had to be careful, strategic, witty, and suave. Nino leaned his head back on his chair and closed his eyes, taking in the melody and rhythm that pounded through his headphones. Opening his eyes, he tapped away on his phone. He crafted the message with delicate passion, his words were specific, his emojis and capitalization were analyzed for tone, and his thoughts were truthfully wrapped into one perfect sentence.
im free tonight - 1:10 PM
Nino smacked his forehead. Could he sound any more desperate? He didn't even bother to throw in a joke, or question Adrien's intentions, he just jumped for the opportunity like some sort of… Nino glanced at the water bottle on his desk and chugged it.
He took a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine. It was a Friday afternoon, everyone was free on Friday nights. All he had to do was wait for a response. His message had been read, Adrien was probably thinking up a response. It could be a startled response, a mocking response, or a great response! So his chances were one out of three… or one out of all the millions of terrible reactions he could think of. But Adrien wouldn't do that, he was sweet enough to give anyone cavities just by looking at him. Clearly, Nino was overreacting. It had only been three agonizing minutes.
He just had to put his phone down and mind something else. Just wait casually… patiently. Adrien would answer.
Adrien wasn't going to answer. At least, not yet. He wanted to check something to decide on his answer. Call it cheating, but Chat Noir decided to excuse himself through Alya's balcony and said he'd be back in a minute.
"This isn't stalking or anything," Chat Noir muttered to himself as he crouched on the rooftop across from Nino's bedroom, "just some guy in a black bodysuit hiding behind a chimney."
He opened his baton, pointed the camera to Nino's window, and zoomed in. "But this is Chat Noir! A superhero, doing his superhero duties," he continued, "and he just so happens to be on the roof next to Nino Lahiffe's house, and out of pure coincidence has his camera pointed in the direction of a bedroom window."
It was going to be quick. He didn't mean to invade on Nino's privacy, he just needed answers. He watched Nino mess with some software on his computer, occasionally glancing at his phone. If Chat Noir didn't know any better, Nino looked a bit impatient. He could be waiting for a response, 'tonight' was only a few hours from now after all.
Chat reached into his pocket and pulled out his personal phone.
Adrien: Ok! How about I meet up with you at 6? - 1:18 PM
Chat blushed and giggled into his hand.
Nino: sure, are we talkin the dupain-cheng bakery again? - 1:18 PM
Chat Noir thought for a moment. If he was being honest, he wasn't even sure what the challenge was meant to be at this point, but he had gotten this far. Maybe it was time to be a little more blunt.
Adrien: Actually, I think I'm in the mood for a full meal, if you're up for that? 1:19 PM
Nino: cool :D does this mean youre picking me up? 1:20 PM
Adrien: Yup ;3 1:20 PM
Nino: stop that what are you doing 1:20 PM
Adrien: ;3 ;3 ;3 1:21 PM
Nino: no. 1:22 PM
By the time he'd returned his phone to his pocket, Chat was grinning ear to ear. He saw Nino set his phone on his desk and pump his fist. Chat blushed, maybe there was a chance. Chat's phone buzzed and he reached for it excitedly.
Alya: you'd better not be doing what i think you're doing 1:25 PM
Adrien: Depends what you think I'm doing 1:25 PM
Alya: adrien wtf 1:26 PM
Adrien: Alright alright I'm leaving 1:28 PM
"If they serve camembert you'll pass it all to me, right?" Plagg whispered from the pocket of Adrien's black chino pants.
"Sshh, this isn't the time," Adrien rung Nino's doorbell.
The door opened and Nino came out wearing a navy blue cardigan blue polo shirt. "Hey…"
"...hi."
They stared at each other, waiting for a joke or cocky remark. Neither of them understood how they had gotten this far without having to make something up about whatever pastry battle they had started the day before. And now that they were about to go to a sit-down restaurant, that excuse was less likely to work.
"So, uh, we should-"
"Right, yeah, lead the way."
"My chauffeur parked the car is over there…"
There wasn't much talking on the ride to the restaurant. Both boys sat with their hands clasped together, peeking over every now and then. The silence was the kind that made one consider jumping out of a moving car, but the excitement kept them both sitting beside each other, silently accepting the direction the evening was going.
Gorilla dropped them by the entrance of the restaurant. Adrien and Nino chose to ignore the small smirk on Gorilla's face as they slid out of their doors. After he drove off, they tried to relax a little.
"Well," Adrien turned to Nino as he rested his hand on the front door, "in here, we fight like men."
"Please, yesterday was more of a default win, you haven't really faced me yet."
"Fine, then. Whoever steals the most from the other's plate wins."
Nino snickered, "I swear to God if we get kicked out for being too messy and loud…"
"That's the challenge, don't break too much etiquette," Adrien opened the door, letting Nino step in first.
Nino cleared his throat. "I see, dragging me into a battleground you have an advantage in."
"Can't handle it?"
"I never said that."
It was nice to be out of that stuffy car. They sat down across from each other when the waitress led them to a table for two, smug smiles on their faces. The waitress seemed a bit confused when they thanked her without breaking fierce eye contact, and possibly a bit concerned. Regardless, she set their waters on the table and left, only glancing back at them three times. As if scripted, they both lifted their menus and didn't break their gaze until the paper blocked their vision.
"I hope you pick something I like," Nino called from behind the list of appetizers.
Something caught Adrien's eye. "Same to you, just please don't get the croquettes."
Nino stared at the option for croquettes. "I wouldn't think of it. As long as you don't order any quiche."
"No onion soup."
Nino set his menu on the table. "Deal. And don't even think about roasted asparagus. I'm ready to order."
"What a coincidence," Adrien stacked his on top, "so am I."
They continued to watch each other closely. Nino's eyes trailed to Adrien's slim-fitting sweatshirt, then back to his eyes. Adrien's eyes flicked down when Nino licked his lips.
Their eyes burned into each other, it must've been the competitive spirit.
"Are you two lovebirds ready to order?"
Adrien and Nino started into a loud coughing fit. Reaching for their waters they hoped to drown the blood that was rising to their cheeks.
"U-uhm, yes, actually," Adrien put on a pretty smile for the waitress.
"Great!" she pulled out her notepad.
Adrien handed her the menus. "I'd like some quiche with a side of roasted asparagus."
"And I'll take onion soup with potato croquettes."
"Alrighty, I'll be back with your orders," the waitress turned and left.
Nino tilted his head. "Good luck with your etiquette when you try to steal soup."
"And good luck to you when you bring oily asparagus over this nice tablecloth."
"So is this your secret to dieting?" Nino leaned forward, "you keep losing these types of games?"
Adrien swallowed loudly. "You're… actually the first person I-I've, uh, done this with."
"Oh," Nino paused carefully, "you made it seem like it was something you were used to."
"I just wanted to seem natural, but- this probably sounds inappropriate to anyone listening..." Adrien lowered his head shyly.
Nino laughed. "Only if you take it that way. I guess we've started our own tradition then."
Adrien nodded and smiled.
They continued to chat until the waitress finally returned with a tray. "Here you go, thanks for waiting!"
They thanked her as she left and then turned to the plates in front of them. Adrien took a bite of his quiche and Nino popped a croquette into his mouth. They hummed in satisfaction before lunging their utensils towards the other's plate. Adrien captured two croquettes while Nino took the biggest forkful of quiche he could manage. They scarfed down on their first victories before they continued. Back and forth, they proceeded to snatch more from across the table, each time trying to take twice as much.
Adrien eyed the onion soup. While Nino was busy scraping a huge piece of quiche onto his knife, Adrien grabbed the bowl and slid it over to his side of the table. Without even blinking, Nino did the same to the plate of quiche. They started to dig into the meal they had really wanted from the beginning.
"You know…" Adrien stirred his soup, "It's almost like… we're dating."
"That's crazy, dude."
Adrien looked up at Nino, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Huh?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Nino bit down on his empty fork, a toothy smile spreading across his face.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I mean, even the waitress thought so…"
"... Maybe the waitress knows something we don't."
Nino was quiet for a moment. He studied Adrien's face. "Can I be honest?"
Adrien nodded silently.
"I didn't really mind the idea of it. Actually, I liked it."
Adrien bit his lip. "You really mean it?"
"Yeah. I've wanted to ask you out before even, that's the real reason I came today."
"Holy-" Adrien raised his hands to his temples, "kissing you right now would be breaking etiquette wouldn't it? And then we'd both lose."
Nino smiled and reached for Adrien's hand, peering up for permission. When Adrien approved with wide eyes, Nino lifted his knuckles to his lips. "What happens if we win?" His spoke against Adrien's skin.
Adrien shivered. "Another date?"
"Date… ok, then, we have no choice but to win."
"But, you know, we don't need etiquette if we just leave. We could always just skip dessert."
Nino raised his hand to call a waiter over. "I think you mean skip to the dessert. Looks, like you're on for round three."
wow, Nino, 'dessert' huh? I should've called this the thirst games. Adrien's flirt game can get reKt
Please review! Hope you liked it, and if you're inspired to doodle please tell me I'd love to see 3