Author's Note: I guess not many people will read this, since it's my first fic, but I hope those who do will like it! This idea popped into my head and I'm stuck here late at night writing! I love the community so much, I decided to join it. So without further ado, my first ever fic! A oneshot about how Nino & Adrien set the Gorilla & Nathalie up on a date! Enjoy! (:
Adrien awoke with a start. Nathalie was frantically knocking, almost pounding, on his door for him to get up. He glanced at his clock. 5 minutes early? Nevertheless, he got up, tied up his green paw-print robe, and answered the door. He was greeted with Nathalie, dressed in an all black power suit, yet her streak of red hair gave a sense of rebellion about her. She had her clipboard balanced on her petite hip and was tapping the edge of the metal binding clip with her silver pen, looking Adrien up and down expectantly.
"Yes, Nathalie?"
"Adrien, you need to get up now. The schedule is going 5 minutes early and I'd like to keep it that wa-"
"Yes, Nathalie." he interrupted. He knew she loved being on time, and having everything according to plan. He sighed. "I'll get dressed as soon as possible to be down for breakfast, alright?"
She nodded. "And be sure to dress smartly, your father will be joining you today.
Man, that made him panic. She smiled, for once, much to his dismay. "A-Are you serious? My father?"
"Yes, Adrien. Now hurry along. You know your father gets impatient when you take too long."
Thinking back to the many incidents where he had been late, he decided to agree. He gave a short nod, before she closed the door and walked off. Her heels left a soft click, click, click, against the marble floor of the cold, empty mansion. she frowned a little, never really realising how alone she was until now.
Adrien quickly got changed, into his favourite blue denim jeans, a fitted black top with three horizontal strips across the chest, one green, one blue, and one yellow. He paired this with his prefered white jacket, one plucked especially for him from one of his father's famous fashion lines. He glanced in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair, when he realised his miraculous, a silver ring nestled on his ring finger.
"Plagg!" he said suddenly. He had completely forgotten about the little fella.
Plagg groaned, obviously coming around from an amazing dream. Adrien could bet his life that the subject of said dream was cheese. Particularly camembert. Strolling back into his large room, he opened the cabinet beside his bed, and reached in for a fresh wheel of camembert.
"I don't know why you like this stuff so much, Plagg," he said, holding his nose in a delicate fashion. "It stinks!"
Plagg woke up, obviously in reaction to the sweet scent of his beloved camembert. He flew over to the plate in Adrien's hand and cried "But Adrien, that's the best part!" He took a deep breath in through the nose. "Ah, my gooeyness.."
Adrien rolled his eyes, much like his lady usually did to him. "Okay, whatever you say, Plagg."
It wasn't long until the plate was empty. At least someone was going to enjoy their breakfast.
After he was dressed, Adrien descended the stairs to the dining room. His father was sitting at the head of the table, sighing impatiently. Nathalie was looking around anxiously, her eyes searching for a certain blonde headed model. She quickly scurried over to Adrien as he entered the room, and escorted him to his seat at the other end of the table. Awkwardly, Adrien sat down, refusing to make eye contact with his father.
After a moment too long of silence, his father spoke up.
"Do look up, Adrien. Have I taught you nothing." The rhetorical question sounded more like a statement. "Back straight, shoulders back. I can't have you looking unpresentable."
Adrien silently did as he was told. He knew he could never argue with his father. The rest of breakfast was in painful silence.
As he arrived in school, Gorilla and Nathalie in tow, he noticed they shared a longing gaze. Not noticeable, but it was there. Just as he was about to confront Nathalie about it, Nino came over to Adrien to greet his friend.
"Hey dude," He said. Adrien turned his head to greet Nino with their usual fist bump, but by the time he turned back to the limo, it wasn't there. He sighed inaudibly, but Nino, being his best friend, knew something was up. "Bud, everything okay?" He asked tentatively. Nino knew that his friend had family issues, and prefered to stay out of them- especially after "The Bubbler" incident. -but he couldn't bear seeing his best friend unhappy, so he does what he can.
"Everything's fine, I just have a hunch, is all."
"Oh?" Nino unwrapped his headphones from around his neck, packing them in his bag - A clear sign that he was interested.
"Yeah. I think my father's assistant and my bodyguard.." he trailed off. Should he be spreading rumours? It's not like Nino would tell anybody, and besides, he doesn't know Nathalie and the Gorilla very well. He's unlikely to sa-
"What, your old man acting up again?" Nino broke his chain of thought.
"No, no," he interrupted quickly. "I just think that Nathalie and the Gorilla, well, they.." He paused for a moment, but before he could speak again, Nino chimed in.
"Look, dude, if you're pausing for effect, you're going to lose me." They both chuckled, Adrien's laugh albeit more awkward.
"I think they like each other."
"Who?"
"Nathalie and Gorilla."
"Oh." His mouth formed a perfect "o". Adrien couldn't help but laugh at his friend's reaction. "What do you suppose we do?"
"What?" Adrien cried, taken aback. "What do you mean, "do"? We can't do anything about it!"
"Why not?" Nino shrugged. "Hey, if they're happy, they're more likely to be more flexible with what you do. You can go out, have girlfriends.. Hey, I heard Chloe's single."
Adrien punched his friend playfully in the arm. "Chloe's.. Just an acquaintance." He didn't like Chloe too much, but she was his only childhood friend. "Do you really think they'd be okay with things like that if they were together?"
"Of course, bro! They're happy, so they make you happy! It's simple science."
Adrien thought for a moment. Would setting them up really make them happier? What if they got angry at him for interfering, and then they were even more strict? What if it did work, but they were the same? What if they were happy at first, but finding out he set them up ruined a perfectly good relationship? What if-
The bell interrupted his thoughts. Nino patted his friend on the shoulder, and went to join his now girlfriend, Alya, walking into the school. Adrien hung behind, his mind wandering as he dawdled behind them. Surely, if they were as happy as Nino and Alya, everything would be fine? Then again, Nathalie and the Gorilla weren't your average pair.
After class, he decided to meet up with Nino at his house. They were going to plan the great set-up. Adrien was a little uneasy about the idea, but Nino reassured him. He felt a lot better about this already.
The call with the Gorilla explaining why he wouldn't be home on time was slightly awkward. Whether it was the fact that the Gorilla made grunting noises where every normal person would say "yes" or "no", or that he wasn't sure the Gorilla understood him, he didn't know. Maybe Nathalie could do the talking in the relationship, he thought to himself.
Coming home from Nino's house, Adrien had a spring in his step. They decided on a date place- the cinema, where there wouldn't be much talking. Perfect for a mute bodyguard and a formal assistant. Obviously they'd need someone to make the move, so Adrien decided he'd talk Nathalie about it. The Gorilla didn't seem too interested in that sort of thing. Everything was running smoothly, until Adrien finally realised what he was agreeing to.
Somehow, in the short time he spends with Nathalie in a day, he was meant to subtly hint to her that she should ask the Gorilla out? Maybe he could play it as a blind date? But then again, when would they be up for that? A million questions surrounded his mind like a tornado, breaking down every optimistic thought he had in his head, like a hurricane in a city. He didn't know what to do.
Panicking, he threw his schoolbag on his bed and searched his pockets for his phone. An annoyed Kwami whizzed out of his pocket.
"Hey! Watch it mister!"
"Sorry Plagg, there's camembert in the bedside cabinet!" He figured if the Kwami was distracted, he wouldn't bother him.
He quickly punched in Nino's number- He knew it by heart -and pressed dial. Nino quickly picked up.
"What's up, bro?"
"I'm having second thoughts about operation Gorithalie.." He used the code name they had made for the mission, which was invented at Nino's house earlier that day.
"What? Did she say no? What happened, dude?"
"No, she didn't say no.." He scratched his head anxiously, "She didn't say anything, actually…" He braced himself for a fit on the other end.
"What?! Dude, you need to get this plan into action pronto! Then you can come over more often and stuff! What are you thinking, go do it!"
It may not have been the most gracious of pep talks, but Adrien was feeling more motivated by the minute.
"Dude, you need to do this! Imagine all the stuff you could do if they are happy together! This would be great! Man, I'll help you all I can but if you really want this to happen you have to do it yourself! What would ladybug do?"
Ladybug? He perked up at that name. His Lady. Wow, she was amazing. If she was in this situation, she'd probably go for it. Though he cant imagine his lady being waited on head to toe, she was much more down to earth than that.
"I guess you're right, Nino." He could hear some chuckling on the other end. "What?"
"Dude, you're head over heels for ladybug." And with that, he ended the call.
Sure, he was right, but he needs to focus on the task at hand.
Adrien was barrelling down the stairs, sliding down bannisters, and adding little jumps and twirls where he could on his quest to find Nathalie. She had been working in his father's study, writing down notes on her clipboard. He knocked once. Twice. No answer. She was engrossed in her work, carefully sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth in concentration, her eyebrows knitted together in thought.
"Uh.. Nathalie?" he spoke up. Still no response. She was scribbling down something, but he couldn't tell what. He tried peering over the cluttered desk. Was that Marinette's name? It couldn't be. He cleared his throat once more.
"Nathalie?" He said louder. He walked over and tapped her shoulder. She bolted upright.
"Ah! Adrien! You gave me a fright. Whatever is the matter?" she said formally, trying to regain her formal posture. He could tell she was putting on an act, and hoped she would cut it for the date he was hoping to plan.
"I uh, wanted to ask you if you'd like to go on a date?"
There was a pause.
One second.
Two seconds.
His face turned bright red in realising what he had just said.
"No! Not with me! I was asking if you'd like to go on a blind date! Someone i'll set you up with? I'm sorry for the confusion I really didn't mean me I'm really sorry I uh-"
"It's alright, Adrien." she said with a small, sympathetic smile.
He let out a sigh of relief.
"At the cinema, 7PM on Saturday. Please be there? It's uh, for a class project" He said, not as smoothly as he would have liked.
"May I ask whom I will be dating?"
"No you may not." He said, almost too quickly. "Uh, I mean, it's a suprise! What's life without whimsy, eh?"
She smiled, a cold smile. There was no feeling, not even deep within that facial expression. "Okay, Adrien." She scurried off to where she was meant to be next. He sighed with relief, realising what a mess he had just made of himself. She was going to report it to his father, he just knew it. Oh God, what had he done?
About an hour after the Nathalie incident, he was in a limo on his way to fencing class. He usually sat right at the back, but today he decided to sit in the passenger seat, next to Gorilla.
"So…" He began. The Gorilla grunted. "Uh, I don't suppose you have anything going on on Saturday at 7, do you?"
The Gorilla looked at him. Not inquisitively, not curiously. Just a blank stare.
"Huh, is that a yes?"
The Gorilla grunted before turning his head back to the road.
"Go to the cinema. Someone will be waiting for you there." He decided to make it as abrupt as possible, just in case his suspicions of the Gorilla not understanding French were true.
The rest of the car ride was in silence, Jagged Stone's latest album playing quietly in the background. The Gorilla seemed happy, but maybe that was just Adrien's imagination.
As soon as he arrived at Fencing class, he dialed Nino's number.
"Yo, did you do it yet?"
"Yep, operation Gorithalie is underway."
"Sweet! Now we gotta see what movie they go into so we can spy on 'em!"
"Nino, don't you think that's a little bit weird?"
"Hah hah, you know I was joking. Or was I?"
"Okay, enough of this now, man. I have to go to fencing. Talk to you later, yeah?"
"Alright, man" The phone on the other line went dead. Adrien walked to his changing room to begin his fencing lessons.
SATURDAY: 6:50PM
Nathalie stood nervously at the cinema entrance, waiting for a clue is to who her blind date would be. This was nerve-wracking, but, like the red streak in her hair, she was being rebellious. She caught sight of Adrien's limo. Maybe he was just going to the movies with Nino. But when the door was opened, only one large figure stepped out. The Gorilla.
Now, Nathalie knew that it was unlike the Gorilla to leave the house other than to chauffeur Adrien around Paris, so it was with great surprise that she saw him there. She wondered, and it was safe to say that she hoped, that he was her blind date.
Their relationship was a weird one, but who was she to say that she didn't enjoy his company? They had been working together for a long time, exchanged small smiles in the corridors of the mansion, and even chatted a little during Adrien's photoshoots. It was hard to find a reason why she didn't like the Gorilla.
Sure, he didn't talk much, but their relationship was a special one. She loved how he put himself in harm's way to protect herself and Adrien. He was so heroic. She loved how he would greet her each morning as she stepped into the limo with were co-workers, but a great friendship had blossomed, in it's own little way, between them.
A little ways into conversation, she was starting to recognise things she'd never seen before. His eyes, a deep shade of blue, could see straight through her. She enjoyed his company. She enjoyed their strange little conversations. She enjoyed being around him.
Maybe she should have asked Adrien & Nino to set them up a long time ago.