Adrien had realized soon after taking on the black cat miraculous that becoming a cat themed superhero seemed to come with a few side effects.
At first it was simple stuff, like being able to see better in the dark, or craving fish more often, but it soon evolved to a sense of smell so strong that most scents bothered him and an odd need to lay on the floor in the path of sunlight at home.
The enhanced sense of smell was probably the most annoying side effect thus far, especially with how often Chloe grabbed at him, her perfume making his eyes water as he tried to breathe as little as possible. He had been tempted on more than one occasion to to smear toothpaste under his nose before class, but he figured that was just a little too odd for public school, so he refrained.
Nino usually smelled like fresh laundry and energy drinks, so it wasn't a problem sitting next to him, while Marinette smelled like fresh bread and cookies, which was pleasant as well.
He hadn't gotten close enough to most of the kids in class to smell, but he was content not knowing. After all, how many of his classmates smelled him? The answer was probably a resounding zero, and he was happy to keep it there.
He had been chatting with Nino outside of school, waiting for the bell to ring, when he had first caught the scent.
It was sweet, and just the small whiff he caught made his mouth water. He could practically taste it, like strawberries and honey, thick on his tongue.
His head quickly turned, scanning the nearby surroundings for a hint of what the smell was, but all he saw was his loitering classmates, so he gave up, turning back to Nino.
The second time he caught it, he was waiting on the steps of the school to be picked up, two days after he had first caught the smell. This time, the smell was even more pronounced, causing his mouth to water again as he licked his lips, eyes darting around as he tried to search for the source again. He scanned the courtyard but before he could search further, there was a honk as his driver finally arrived. With a frustrated sigh, he got inside, staring out the window for the short ride, determined that next time he came across the scent, he would find whatever was causing it.
Luck seemed to be on his side, as the next time he caught the scent was early the next morning, right as he got out of the car in front of the school. Face grim with determination, he followed the smell the best he could, stopping to sniff the air every few seconds. It took close to ten minutes, but when he was sure he had found it, he was standing in front of Nathaniel, who simply watched him with a raised eyebrow and a curious expression.
"Adrien? Are you okay?" He asked, gently pushing his sketchbook aside as the boy in front of him seemed to waver on his feet.
"Uh, yeah! Yeah, I'm fine." He grinned awkwardly, hand raising to rub the back of his neck anxiously, taking a deep breath to see if the wonderful smell was really Nathaniel. Of course, being this close only gave him a stronger dose of the smell, and he collapsed to his knees as he was hit with all the nuances of the redhead's smell.
Nathaniel quickly jerked off of the bench he was sitting on, darting forward to support Adrien as the blond wavered.
"Adrien, what's going on? Do I need to go get the nurse?" Nathaniel asked, eyebrows furrowed as the boy's half lidded eyes turned to him.
"No, no, I'm fine," He slurred, pushing his body forward to rest his head on Nathaniel's shoulder, "You just smell really good."
Adrien had absolutely zero idea what had led to this, but the second he had gotten a better whiff of the smell, his whole body had relaxed, and all he wanted to do was lay down with Nathaniel and sleep.
"Oh god, is this a weird Chat Noir side effect, cause I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to do here." Nathaniel muttered, trying to shake the boy who seemed intent on nuzzling into his neck.
Plagg, who had been hiding in Adrien's shirt and trying to push him back, popped out of the shirt, motioning for Nathaniel to not scream as he looked around to make sure they were alone.
When Plagg asked, Nathaniel explained that literally everyone in class knew that Adrien was Chat Noir and Marinette was Ladybug, except Chloe and the two themselves. The two of them were usually more caught up in hurrying to save the day than making sure they weren't seen while transforming.
With that out of the way, Plagg explained that each Chat Noir gained certain side effects when taking up the job, and Adrien had been blessed with the sensitive sense of smell. While certain smells would bother him more than others, like Chloe's perfume, others would induce his current state. It was always a gamble with what the calming smell would be since it was different for each Chat Noir, but Adrien being specifically tuned in to Nathaniel was something Plagg said had only ever happened once before.
"The other Chat Noir that tuned in like this was in love with the person he was tuned into, so you may want to have a talk with loverboy here when he's back to his regular self." Plagg smirked, grin widening as Nathaniel's cheeks flushed.
Having to confess his major crush on Nathaniel wasn't quite what Adrien expected when he went off to find the source of the smell, but of course, with the powers of destruction and chaos, there really was no way to guess where most of his decisions would end up.
At least this one would end well, for when Adrien finally came back to himself, had everything explained to him, and fumbled his way through a confession, Nathaniel's face had gone bright red before he jerked Adrien forward by the edges of his shirt, pulling him into a kiss. Not only was Adrien ecstatic that Nathaniel liked him back, he had even gotten confirmation that yes, Nathaniel tasted even better than he smelled.