Whoop, it is late at night here lol, I'm the worst. Here's that fic I promised, because this fandom is sorely lacking in djnoir and that is a crime.
It's set about two and a half years into the future from the current plot. It originally started as like...just the djnoir, and then turned into a coming out story lol.
It has been up for about a week on my...Kitchen account (see chapter 59 author notes of From the Top for an explanation of THAT one lol), just so everyone is aware. That's probably how I'll do all new stories now, is post them a week early on my Kitchen account for those who follow me. Links to that are on my tumblr profile, or you can PM me for it.
Onwards!
"This is gonna hurt," Nino warned, pinching the slivered skin together around Chat Noir's shoulder and glancing up at the back of the hero's head. "Just so you know."
Chat Noir's jaw clenched and he shot a smirk over his shoulder at Nino, eyes dark with pain. "I expected nothing less. You sure you're okay with this?"
Nino shrugged. "I'm a little queasy," he admitted. "But Mom has basically drilled survival medicine into me since I was born. No idea what she thought I was gonna be getting into, that's for sure."
Noir snorted. "Obviously stitching up superheroes that have landed on your roof at two in the morning."
Nino rolled his eyes and swiped at the cut again with his alcohol swab. "Obviously. On three?"
"You're not gonna count, are yo-OWOW OW. Shit!"
Chat's hands clenched tight on his legs, claws digging into the leather of his suit. Nino paused after the first stitch, bunching the cloth of Chat's suit further around his chest so that he could get at the slice. He swabbed again, moving excess blood out of the way so he could see, and internally blessed his doctor parents for giving him the guts for this shit. "Four more, dude. Four more."
Chat nodded and Nino worked fast, his knots sloppy but secure. The stitches were uneven, but the cut was closed in a matter of a few minutes. Chat's fingers had turned to clinging to Nino's bed, ripping holes in the sheets that Nino couldn't bring himself to be mad about. He adjusted a knot on the last stitch, making sure that there wasn't any gaping, and set the needle down on the tray he'd brought up from the kitchen. "Can't believe you didn't get Marinette to do this," Nino grumbled as he carefully, as gently as he could, cleaned around the stitches. "She's a fucking seamstress."
Chat winced at the sting of the alcohol. His shoulders were trembling. "Yeah, well…I don't think sewing thread would be very good for this. I knew…I knew your mother was a doctor…I've spoken to her a few times, visiting the children's hospital…so I – sssss – I figured it'd be better to come here."
Nino draped a piece of gauze over the shoulder wound and hummed, taping the bandage across Chat's shoulder. "Smart. I would have woken Dad up if I couldn't do this myself, you know. But I figured he'd want to take you to an actual hospital, and…"
He trailed off, concentrating on making the last piece of tape stick. "Your identity," he finished. He helped Chat ease his arm back into his suit, leaving it momentarily unzipped. Chat Noir turned on the bed to face him, forehead and chest beaded with sweat, and Nino's mouth was dry. "Y-You uh…your identity is…important," he managed, his heart in his throat as he forced himself to stare anywhere but the hero's bare skin.
The smile he got was gentle, appreciative. "Thank you, Nino. I…thank you. You've been…really great. Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all, a-an autograph, a picture, a…I don't know, anything?" Chat finished helplessly. He glanced down at the bed, eyeing the claw marks he'd made, and winced. "And I will totally replace your sheets, dude, I'm so sorry about that."
Nino managed a laugh. "Better my sheets than someone's skin. And uh…no. No charge. You save me a-and Paris literally every day. The sheets are enough. So my mom doesn't wonder what kind of wild sex I was having in here."
Why the FUCK did he say that?
Nino's face flamed and the smile on Chat's face slid into a grin, though his skin pinked. "Oh ho, having some fun in here, eh?"
"No! Oh my god, no, s-shut up, I-"
"I dunno, I've seen you with that reporter girl a few times, she-"
"No," Nino snapped, more forcefully than he'd intended. Chat froze and Nino squinted an eye shut. "Sorry, sorry. No, we…we tried that out for a while, yeah, and I care about her a lot, but I…"
Was he actually about to come out to his superhero crush when he hadn't even told most of his friends and family yet?
"I lean more towards guys," Nino finished with a shrug, peeking up at the hero nervously.
Chat stilled, something in his expression softening. "Oh," he said, gaze flickering over Nino like he was seeing him for the first time. "Oh, okay. That's…yeah."
Nino offered a hopeful smile. "Yeah?"
Chat Noir shrugged, nonchalant, and the pressure in the room eased a bit. "Good. I'm glad you know that about yourself. It's hard, figuring yourself out. Satisfying once you get there, though."
Nino frowned a little, tilting his head. "You sound like you…?"
Chat winked. He fucking winked. "Bisexual," he confirmed, gentle. "Though I…actually think you're the first person I've told."
Nino almost choked on his own tongue. "What?" he croaked. "Not even like…Ladybug? Or your family?"
Chat shrugged, wincing as the motion pulled at his stitches, and Nino suddenly remembered why they were sitting there. "Shit, wait, right, hold on."
He got up from the bed and snuck down the hall to the bathroom, returning with Tylenol and a box of gauze bandages. Chat was standing when he returned, suit zipped up and baton out, scrolling through something on the phone screen. His tail swished idly behind him. He closed his phone when Nino walked back in, lifting an eyebrow.
"Some meds, for the pain," Nino explained, holding out the pills and waiting while Chat dry-swallowed them. "And some extra gauze. You'll need to change it probably like, three times a day? At the least? Do you need tape, too? I have some extra, I could-"
Chat Noir's hand settled, gentle, on his wrist, his other hand coming up to take the box of gauze. "This is more than enough," he said, his voice soft. Thick. "I…appreciate everything, Nino. Everything."
He hadn't let go of his hands. Nino's gaze darted down to the contact, back up to Chat, in time to see Chat's eyes flicker back up from…somewhere. His chest felt like there was an elephant on it. "I…you're welcome," he choked. "C-Come back in a week to…the stitches. So I can take them out. Sooner if it starts to look bad."
He still hadn't let go. "I will," he promised, and Nino realized with a start that Chat Noir was just a little taller than him, which was…disconcerting. He didn't know what to make of that.
His hand slipped loose and Nino tried not to sigh out loud at the lack of contact as Chat turned and opened the window, favoring his right hand over his left. He hesitated, the breeze billowing in and making Nino's curtains fan out, Chat's tail drift.
Chat turned, lips parted, and Nino thought he was going to thank him again.
His mouth burned on Nino's cheek, the edge of his lips, electric, and he couldn't help it – he gasped in surprise and his hand flung up.
By the time he could process that Chat fucking Noir had just kissed him, he was gone, the open window and the fire swirling in Nino's gut the only sign he'd been there. He stumbled back to his bed and sat down, heart pounding.
"Merde," he hissed.
Nino had pretty much resolved not to tell Adrien – or anyone, for that matter, ESPECIALLY Alya – about the night prior by the time he got to school the next morning. Adrien was waiting for their group outside the school, leaning against the wall and talking animatedly with Rose about something. The girl seemed excited, her hands waving about, and as Nino got closer, he could pick up pieces of the conversation.
"-an open school, but it would be really cool to start that! I'll have to talk to Juleka, she'd be very interested!"
Nino offered a smile as they stepped up, noting the way Adrien stiffened when he approached. Was there something he wasn't supposed to be hearing? "What are we starting?" he asked, tilting his head.
Rose hesitated, her smile drifting into a thoughtful frown, and she glanced at Adrien, raising an eyebrow. Adrien tilted his head at her and she brightened again.
What the fuck?
"Starting a GSA!" Rose squealed.
Nino blinked a few times. "A…huh?"
"It's a mostly American thing, I think," Adrien explained softly. "If they exist here I don't know about them, but…it stands for Gay Student Alliance."
The words circled Nino's head, not quite penetrating, as Rose and Adrien watched him closely, waiting for a reaction. "Wait," he finally managed. "So like…a club for…being gay?"
Rose shook her head. Her mother was from America, so Nino assumed she probably knew more about this than he did. "Not just that! Anyone! Gay, lesbian, bi, straight! Just for…being themselves."
"Same sex marriage is legal here," Nino found himself saying, stupidly. They knew that, of course they knew that. They all knew that.
Adrien was starting to look anxious, and he looked at Rose like he needed help. "Well…yeah, but there's still always like…it's still not always safe to…to be gay. It'd be a safe space."
"Hold on," Nino said, pressing his hands to his head. Things were starting to kind of fall into place for him. "Are you like…is this your weird way of coming out? I thought you had a whole thing about Ladybug?"
Adrien's cheeks were red when Nino looked up. Rose's hand was on his arm, gentle, and Nino felt a swirl of guilt mixed with…jealousy? He had come out to Rose before him? "Yeah," Adrien said with a shrug. "I'm bi. Or maybe pan. I don't know enough yet."
Rose was smiling, gentle, and Nino suddenly felt stupid for feeling jealous. Of course he'd come out to Rose – she was so openly bisexual, it wasn't funny. She had made it clear from day one of highschool that she liked girls as much as guys, and their whole class had taken to shutting down any shit from other students. She was one of the easiest people in the school to talk to, everyone went to her with their problems.
Nino realized that it had been too long since he'd spoken, and the way Adrien was looking at him now, like he was scared, made him upset. Did he really think…? "That's cool, dude," Nino said, giving him a sincere smile. "I mean…if we're all coming out…I'm also bi. So…" He spread his arms, letting his smile slip into something goofy, and Adrien's eyes brightened.
Rose whooped, swinging an arm up for a high five. Nino obliged. "Perfect! We're growing! I'm gonna go talk to Principal Damocles about the GSA, I'm sure he'll be supportive."
She turned to Adrien, going serious for a moment, and set her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for trusting me with that. I know it couldn't have been easy."
Adrien smiled at her. "You weren't the first, but…thank you. You made it easier."
Rose nodded, bid the two goodbye, and bolted to find Juleka. Nino glanced at Adrien, lifting a brow. "You tell your dad first?" he asked, wondering how THAT conversation had gone.
Adrien blinked twice, like he wasn't expecting Nino to ask. "What? No, I – uh…oh look, there's Marinette and Alya," he interrupted himself, lifting a hand to wave at the girls as they walked up.
Nino frowned, watching as Adrien turned to converse with the girls. He wasn't going to out him, obviously. That would be a dick move, but he was just…confused. He obviously hadn't come out to either of them, and if Rose hadn't been the first, and neither was Nino or Adrien's father…Nino couldn't see him talking to the Gorilla about it, he couldn't. Chloe…maybe, but he doubted it.
Who the fuck had he told?
Nino shook his head, moving behind Adrien to set his back down on the stone banister and search for his English books. It didn't matter. It was Adrien's business, not his. He'd tell him when he wanted.
He frowned as he rummaged, unable to find his syllabus, and glanced up at the trio to ask if any of them remembered when their next paper was due. His eyes locked onto Adrien's back, his left shoulder specifically. There was a small dot of blood on his shirt, and Nino tilted his head. "Dude, you're bleeding."
Adrien whipped around, putting a hand to his face. "What, where?"
Marinette was frowning at his back now. "Your left shoulder. It's small though. I have a stain pen if you need help getting the color out."
His face was pale, and his fingers drifted to his bag. Eyes flicked to his watch. "Uh…yeah, maybe. It's probably…this is embarrassing," Adrien laughed, his voice awkward. "Probably a pimple or something."
Alya glanced at her phone. "Better fix it, Agreste. We have homeroom in ten minutes."
Adrien gave them all a smile, weak. "Yup. Let Mlle. Bustier know I'm here."
He practically ran. Marinette turned to Alya, saying something about his father would probably be mad at Adrien for staining a designer shirt, but Nino tuned the girls out, staring after Adrien. Something in his gut twisted, protested, argued with his head.
There was no way.
There was a way.
That way was gym class. Specifically, dodgeball. Nino hated dodgeball with a fiery passion. Running, sweating, getting pelted by blunt objects going sixty miles an hour that could break his only method of seeing? No thank you.
Marinette and Alya, of course, loved dodgeball. They were fucking brutal at it, too. Nino had been playing with Marinette since they were in primary school, and he swore she got more aggressive every single year. Her aim had used to suck, but she'd been great at catching and blocking, and this year her aim had skyrocketed, which meant that – in the guys versus girls game – Nino was out in about thirty seconds flat.
No surprise there – he'd outlasted Nath and Max, which was who he expected to outlast. He was a little surprised, obviously – he was Carapace, couldn't that give him ANYTHING? But he took his losses and sat on the bleachers, knees jittering as he waited for one of the guys, probably Adrien or Ivan, to catch a ball so he could get back in. As much as he hated dodgeball, he also hated not being able to help his team.
Adrien was usually one of the last people out in dodgeball, normally getting down to just him and Kim against usually Alix and Marinette, and once it was those four on the court, it was anyone's game.
This time, though, Nino noticed it. He was moving a little slower. He favored his right side, flinching out of the way of every ball that neared his left shoulder.
He turned to scoop a ball of the floor.
Alix nailed him in the left shoulder.
Adrien's knees buckled and he hit the floor with a gasp.
The coach blew the whistle and everyone froze, Alix stammering apologies, she hadn't meant to throw that hard, hadn't meant to hit that hard. Adrien struggled to his feet, reassuring, shooting her a pained smile.
"Sit the rest out, Agreste," the coach barked.
Ivan and Kim cursed at losing one of their best players, but Nino had eyes only for the way Adrien was now booking it to the locker room, right hand clutching his left shoulder. The pain in his eyes was tangible.
"I'm going to go check on him, sir," Nino found himself saying.
Coach nodded and Nino forced himself to walk to the locker room. Forced himself to open the door calmly. To look merely concerned for his friend.
His stupid fucking friend.
The moment the door swung shut Nino bolted to the showers and bathroom section, finding Adrien peeling off his shirt and gasping back tears. How he hadn't screamed, Nino had no idea.
The stitches were splintered. The cut bruised and ugly, bright red around it's core. Blood trickling down his back. The gauze had done little to protect it against the hit.
Adrien hadn't seen him yet, so Nino took a breath, locked his jaw, and stormed into the bathroom. "You're a fucking idiot," he snapped. Adrien whirled around, eyes wide, mouth slipping a little, and-
Oh god. He had kissed him last night. Adrien had-
Nino shoved the thought from his mind. Now was not the time. Adrien's knees were shaking, his face white, shoulder on fire when Nino touched it to turn him. "Stupid fucking black cats," he muttered, eyeing the cut clinically.
"Nino, I-"
"Shut up. Where's the extra gauze I gave you last night?"
Adrien flinched and pointed at the locker room. Nino left him to grab it, relieved to see that the idiot had at least brought a first aid kit with him to school. So he wasn't completely stupid. He grabbed both and ducked back into the bathroom, pulling Adrien into the handicapped stall and locking the door. "We don't have a lot of time, and this isn't sanitary, but it'll have to work for now," Nino muttered, opening up the first aid kit and – thank god – finding liquid bandage. Not prime for the size of Adrien's cut, but better than slapping gauze on and calling it a day.
"Nino-"
"Adrien," Nino said, looking up, softening at the panic in his eyes. "It's okay. Come on."
He sat Adrien down on the toilet seat and went to work, wiping his hands and Adrien's shoulder down with an alcohol wipe before carefully wiping away the excess blood and torn stitches and painting a liberal coat of liquid bandage over the cut. It wasn't perfect – nowhere even close – but it would suffice.
Adrien's hands shook in his lap for the time it took Nino to work, and when he'd finally applied another gauze pad over the cut, Nino figured that at least five or ten minutes had passed. Someone would come looking for them soon. "C'mon," he murmured, closing the kit. "Shirt on. We have to go back out."
Adrien nodded, mute, and followed Nino out to the locker area again. They put the kit and gauze away and shut Adrien's locker. They'd just reached the door when Adrien's hand found Nino's wrist, tugged him back.
His eyes were watery when Nino looked back at him, and Nino twisted so that his back was to the door, blocking anyone from entering. "Dude?"
"I'm sorry," Adrien whispered.
Nino's chest ached. He'd been avoiding thinking about it all day, and now…now he saw it, in his hair, his eyes, his posture. In his smile, his voice, the way he carried himself.
His best friend was Chat Noir.
And Nino very much had a crush on Chat Noir. He'd had one on Adrien too, for a while, but it had faded over time. When Chat Noir had come into the picture.
Who was Adrien.
Fucking hell. That explained a lot, actually.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Nino assured him, letting his hand draw back until it was holding Adrien's. He squeezed. "You're a superhero, I get it, dude."
"But I should have told you, I…"
"Dude. Look at me."
Adrien looked up at him from under his bangs, eyes red, and Nino wilted. Offered a smile. "I get it. More than you know. I…I'm Carapace. And I'm telling you that so that you don't feel like you just had your identity stolen from you with nothing in return. And so that you know that I understand, Adrien."
Adrien was just staring at him now, jaw hanging, eyes wide, and Nino fought back a blush. He cocked his head instead. "Did I break you?"
"N-No, I just…shit. Carapace is hot."
They both jolted back and Adrien slapped both hands over his mouth, eyes about to fall out of his head. Nino's heart was humming in his chest, and a laugh spilled out from his lips. It caught, took hold, and soon they were both doubled over, laughing their asses off in the locker room. "Oh my god," Nino wheezed. "Oh my god, are you kidding? Dude, no way, Chat Noir is way hotter."
He knew what he'd said, meant it, and it was gratifying to see Adrien's face go even pinker. "S-So l-last night…"
Nino sobered up fast, straightening and glancing at the clock. They'd taken about fifteen minutes now. "What about it?"
Adrien shifted, eyes lowering, slipping sideways. "I…I kissed you."
Nino lifted an eyebrow, sticking his hands into his pockets. "You did."
Adrien's hands dragged over his legs. "I…I'm sorry, if that…if…"
"Marinette and Alya are right," Nino said, rolling his eyes. "You're a dense motherfucker."
Adrien's brows furrowed. "What? When did they – WHY would they-?"
Nino reached forwards, grabbed Adrien's hand, and tugged him in, careful of his shoulder. He stumbled into Nino, free hand hovering nervously in the air between them, and Nino gently pulled the hand he held behind him, setting it on his back. "I know like…I literally came out to you last night," Nino murmured, and he could feel the way Adrien jolted as he slid his hand over Adrien's hip. "But I've known for a while and god, dude, I've had a crush on Chat Noir for two years. And you before that."
The stuttering sound that slid from Adrien's mouth made Nino chuckle, thinking back to Marinette's crush phase, before she'd gotten over him and moved on. "You…what?"
Nino was suddenly very glad he wasn't allowed to wear his baseball hat for gym. It made leaning his forehead against Adrien's way less of a hassle. "Is that…this? Is it okay?"
Adrien finally seemed to understand, or maybe he'd just been in shock, because he settled, then, his awkward hand sliding around Nino's hip to brace himself on the locker room door. "If it wasn't, I wouldn't have kissed you last night."
Thank god.
His lips were soft, tasted like mint Chapstick, his breath just a little like bacon. Nino fumbled a hand up, taking his glasses off and draping the hand holding them over Adrien's uninjured shoulder. He bit, gentle, slow, and Adrien gasped, the hand on Nino's hip drawing him closer even as Adrien pushed him back against the door, hips and stomachs flush with each other. Nino almost put his left hand on Adrien's shoulder before remembering, and instead he slid it into Adrien's hair, fingers tangling in hair that he had literally daydreamed about.
Adrien gasped, shifting, knee sliding between Nino's legs, and Nino groaned, leaning his head back against the door. Adrien's lips slid to his exposed neck, and it was when the first nibble of teeth came that it came rushing back where they were, what time it was, that Adrien was injured. "Shit," he moaned, bucking without intending to before pushing Adrien gently away. "Shit, shit, sorry, dude," he croaked.
Fuck.
He let his forehead settle on Adrien's shoulder. "Sorry, I…"
Adrien shook his head, his breathing slowing. "No, no, you're right. We…we have to go back out. But I…I'd like to…"
His hands fumbled on Nino's shirt, like he was embarrassed, and Nino smiled into Adrien's neck. "I'd like to, too. If you're comfortable with…everything. The school, a-and your dad."
"It's why I talked to Rose about starting a GSA," Adrien explained, pulling back a little and letting Nino slide his glasses back on. He was secretly a little pleased that Adrien looked uncomfortably turned on too. He tuned back in to what Adrien was saying. "That way like…we don't HAVE to tell my dad, until I'm certain he'll be okay. A-And until then, we'd have a safe space. Though I'm sure a lot of our friend's homes would be chill too."
Nino nodded, thinking of his parents. They'd both openly supported the gay community before, so he knew it'd be okay with them. "Yeah. Yeah, that's smart."
"-to make sure they aren't dead!" came Kim's voice from the other side of the door. Too loud.
They locked eyes, wide, and backpedaled, Adrien rapidly patting down his hair and Nino adjusting his basketball shorts so he didn't look like he was just…randomly sort of hard. Kim walked in, laid eyes on them, and smiled in relief. "Oh good. You guys were gone a while. Adrien, are you okay?"
Adrien nodded. "Yeah. Just got kind of dizzy, so Nino sat back here with me for a bit to make sure I wouldn't pass out. Thanks. Who won?"
Kim was eyeing the two of them, like he knew something, but he answered Adrien's question without hesitating. "No one. We stopped playing. You guys up for some Ultimate Frisbee instead?"
They grinned. "Absolutely," Adrien nodded.
The rest of the week was…interesting. Adrien went home with Nino after school that first day so he could re-do his stitches, and Nino was formally introduced to his Kwami, Plagg. A sarcastic little shit, but Nino liked him instantly, especially when he went on a rant about how stupid Adrien was to even bother going to gym class.
The soft peck on the cheek Adrien gave him right before they left made the night even better.
At school, they'd said nothing. Remained as normal, until Rose got permission from Damocles for a new club, which only took a few days, most of them held up because of paperwork and finding a teacher sponsor. Obviously, Mlle. Bustier was the first person asked, and she agreed in an instant. No one was surprised.
Three days after dodgeball, Thursday afternoon, Rose and Adrien stood at the front of the classroom, Adrien fidgeting and nervous and Rose a bubbly ball of excitement. "Class, if everyone would listen," Mlle. Bustier said, clapping her hands. "Adrien and Rose have an announcement!"
The class quieted a little, and Adrien could feel the curious looks from everyone but Nino and Juleka, who had been involved in this since the start. He glanced at Rose, giving her a weak smile, and she took over, as planned. "On Monday Adrien had a really great idea to start a new club!" Rose declared, her hands clasped in delight in front of her chest. "A GSA!"
Heads tilted, confused, and Adrien managed a small chuckle. "A Gay Student Alliance," he explained, watching the way eyes lit up in recognition, in excitement, and warmth bubbled in his chest. "We don't have to call it that, either, if we want to try to be more inclusive. So you guys are…completely welcome to join, even if you aren't gay o-or lesbian."
Rose nodded emphatically. "Yeah! And Mlle. Bustier has agreed to be the teacher sponsor, too, so you'd get to hand out with her even MORE."
Mlle. Bustier laughed, though she looked pleased, and Adrien ducked his head, a smile playing on his lips. "So we just…wanted to announce that to you guys. First meeting is after classes today, we're gonna…just figure out a game plan, what we want to do, things like that."
"I made cookies!" Rose piped. "And feel free to tell anyone in the other classes, if you want! Everyone is welcome to come."
The murmurs were soft, but positive, and Rose and Adrien took their seats, Rose squeezing Adrien's wrist lightly before skipping up the steps to Juleka. He slid into his chair, heart pounding, and Nino took his hand under the table, fingers lacing together, easy.
He knew Marinette and Alya could see it, but somehow, it didn't bother him. He couldn't care. Knew they wouldn't, either. At least, he hoped for that.
Glancing around at his classmates, he hoped it of all of them.
"You're sure on this?" Nino asked, eyeing Adrien. His hand tightened in his grip. "We don't have to, if you're uncomfortable."
Adrien shook his head. "No, I…I want to. I do, really," he promised, looking up at Nino. "I'm just…nervous, I guess. And I haven't even told my father yet." He laughed, sounding a little bitter. "I'm worried."
"Hey." Nino squeezed his hand, turning to face Adrien and cupping a hand over his cheek. God, had it only been three days? "I'm here. No matter what happens, dude. I'm supporting you, Rose and Juleka are supporting you, and my parents are supporting us."
"Me too," came a soft, gravelly voice from Adrien's shirt, and the two started laughing, Adrien bringing up a hand to scratch Plagg behind the ears.
"Thanks, Plagg," he murmured as the cat started purring. He looked at Nino, smile on his lips. "Thanks, Nino. Ready?"
Nino settled a kiss on Adrien's forehead. "Yup."
Plagg ducked away and they walked through the library doors, hand in hand, fingers loose and palms close.
The room was packed.
Their whole class took up the main tables, Chloe included, and Nino recognized several other students from the other classes, Marc among them. There were a handful of students he didn't know, which startled him, given that he'd been with this group of people since he was a child. He wondered if even Marinette knew them all.
Rose caught sight of them first, and her face brightened as her eyes dropped to their intertwined fingers. She'd known since yesterday, when they'd gotten together with her and Juleka to plan out the first meeting, and she'd been a great friend. Nino had known she would be, had known her since pre-school, but it was still nice to have support walking in. "Hi guys!" she called, waving.
Eyes turned, and Nino could feel Adrien start to tremble. His hand tightened almost imperceptibly around Nino's, and Nino couldn't blame him. It was weird, finally coming out to these people he'd known his whole life. He saw some surprise reflected from their classmates, but mostly just acknowledgement. And that made it easier to round the table and sit next to Rose in the chairs she had saved for them.
He let Adrien take the seat next to Rose, since it was their club idea, leaving him next to Marinette and Alya. Alya had known he was bisexual for nearly a year, and Nino knew in turn that she identified as pan. They'd kept it between them, even after their breakup. Alya was still one of his number one supporters.
Marinette…made him nervous. Almost more so than Chloe, and he could already feel Chloe's disappointment from across the room. But Marinette had liked Adrien for a long time. She'd been obsessed, creepily so, for like the first year she'd known him. She'd mellowed out a lot, could have conversations with him now, and had told Nino and Alya a while back that she was totally over him.
He wasn't sure he believed it.
Nino glanced up at the two of them, his pulse skyrocketing. "Glad you guys could make it," he managed, with a weak grin to boot.
Alya's eyebrows wiggled. "Nino Lahiffe. You didn't tell me you bagged a supermodel."
He felt his cheeks warm and his smile grew more natural. "Yeah, well…"
"So THAT'S what you guys were doing in the locker room on Monday," Alya continued to tease, her eyes sparkling in delight.
Nino spluttered but didn't deny it, reaching around to shove Alya playfully. "Oh my GOD, Alya, some TACT!"
Marinette rolled her eyes. "She has none of that."
Gentle, kind. He met her gaze and she smiled, reaching out and squeezing his knee. A sigh of relief rippled through Nino's body and he slumped, giving her a grin. "You're right," he said, nodding. "Like 100%."
"I hate both of you."
"You absolutely do not," Marinette and Nino chorused.
Before Alya could retort, Rose started the meeting. Nino fell back into his chair, turning his attention on the girl, and re-tangled his fingers with Adrien's, on top of the table and in front of everyone. It just felt right.
He told Nathalie and the Gorilla before he told his father. Begged them not to tell him, and they'd obliged instantly, no hesitation. No faltering, no "buts," they just…agreed.
"It is your information to tell as you see fit, Adrien," Nathalie had said to him, her hand gentle on his shoulder. "And I cannot tell you how he will react – frankly I don't know. But you do have support, here. You always will."
He'd hugged her, hard. He didn't hug Nathalie often, she was so stiff and disinterested, but in the moment it had felt right, and she'd hugged back.
The Gorilla, though quiet, had also showed his support, and, the day after Adrien had told him, the man dragged him to the park, silent, foreboding, standing him in front of the playground and watching the kids.
It took only seconds for a little girl to come flying over and swing herself into the Gorilla's grasp, squeals of "Papa!" ringing through Adrien's ears, even as another man, stocky and tall, with kind eyes, came up and kissed the Gorilla's cheek gently, referring to him as "Gilbert," which Adrien…sometimes forgot was his actual name. And not Gorilla.
He was introduced, gently, to Arabella and Alex, and it made him feel…so much more than he thought it would.
Later, he'd asked how often he got to see his family. The Gorilla had gone quiet, shoulders slumping, and he'd grunted out a, "Not often enough." Adrien instantly felt guilty, but the bodyguard had clapped a hand on his shoulder – the good one, thankfully – and reassured Adrien that he in no way faulted him for that fact.
It took him another week to work up the courage, and to find the time, given his father's schedule. Nathalie helped with that, keeping one particular slot open on a Saturday morning, no school, no lessons, no meetings.
He and Nino had been dating for two weeks now, and the Gorilla had taken a shining to Nino, Adrien could tell. He'd never been opposed to him like Gabriel was, but he'd also been pretty much indifferent until now. Adrien was ecstatic that was no longer the case.
The bodyguard remained outside his father's office as Adrien went in, a reassuring presence, and he knew Nathalie wasn't far off either. His father was seated at his desk sketching something across a book, and he looked up expectantly when Adrien shut the door behind him. "Adrien?" the man asked, looking a tad befuddled. "What on earth are you doing here?"
Adrien bit back the snarky "I live here" remark that instantly popped onto his tongue and sat down across from his father on the couch, knee jiggling. He clasped his hands together. "I asked Nathalie if she'd set aside some time for me to speak with you today," he started, slow. "I had something I wanted to…to talk to you about."
Gabriel put down his pencil, a frown on his face. "About?"
Adrien licked his lips, looking sideways. His heart was beating at a pace he'd only felt sprinting across rooftops with Ladybug. Who he…still hadn't come out to. Shit.
Another day.
"I…"
For some reason, Adrien froze, throat welling with emotion, choked, blood rushing in his ears. Gabriel was still frowning, though he looked more concerned now than just…neutral. "Adrien? Has something happened at school? Are you being stalked? Do I need to hire another-"
"No, no, no, nothing like that," Adrien assured him. His breathing caught and he ducked his head, fingers tight around each other. One breath in. Hold. One out.
The Gorilla was outside the door. Nathalie down the hall. Nino, Marinette, and Alya down the street at Marinette's house. His entire class. Half the school. Mlle. Bustier, Damocles…
"I'm bisexual," he breathed. Shut his eyes. Nails in his skin.
Silence, for a moment.
And then his father's chair squeaked and footsteps sounded and hands were on his knees. Adrien opened his eyes, vision blurred by tears to find his father kneeling on the floor in front of him, looking almost – guilty?
"Thank you for telling me," Gabriel said, his voice gentler than Adrien was used to it being. "I know it can't have been easy, but I assure you I will support you in-"
"I'm dating Nino," he blurted out, flinching internally at how loudly he said it.
Gabriel's lips pursed at this. He didn't like Nino, Adrien knew that. Hell, even Nino knew that. It was what made him so nervous about this in the first place.
"This is…the young man with the hat and the…love of music," Gabriel said slowly.
That was…nicer than Adrien had expected. He nodded, slow, heart still moving at seventy miles an hour. His father glanced away, brow furrowed, and then looked back up at Adrien, nodding once. "All right," he said finally. "I…you know my feelings on him. Answer me this, however: he cares about you?"
Adrien nodded rapidly. Gabriel shifted on the floor. "And he…is aware of your busy schedule, obviously."
"Yes sir."
Gabriel nodded. "All right."
Adrien blinked.
"All…all right?"
Another nod. "Yes. He can stay. If he so much as thinks about using you or hurting you, however-"
"Thank you thank you thank you," Adrien choked out, flinging his arms around his father's neck and burying his face into his shoulder. Gabriel's hands lifted slowly, hesitant, and Adrien trembled, holding back a sob. "Thank you," he whispered again, this one a little more watery.
His father's grip tightened. "Of course."
That left one.
Chat Noir leaned on the top of the Arc de Triomphe, chin resting on the end of his baton as he stared out over the city. Ladybug's footsteps were light behind him and he twisted, giving her a smile. "My lady," he said, genuine, with a soft bow.
Her eyes were rolling as he looked up. "Chat," she said, though there was a playful smile on her face. "What's up? I thought just I was patrolling tonight."
Chat gestured to the concrete under them and sat, his legs dangling over the edge of the monument and waiting patiently as Ladybug settled next to him. She bumped her knee against his, voice soft. "You okay?"
He hummed leaning back on his hands. "Yeah," he said, pleasantly surprised to find that he meant it. "Yeah, I am, I…I'm really great, actually. There's just…something I had to tell you."
Ladybug tilted her head at him, eyes soft, body open, gentle. "Yeah?"
Chat nodded. "Yeah. I…started dating someone. As a civilian."
"Oh," and it was soft, pleased, accompanied by a teasing twinkle in her eyes. "Chat, you Casanova."
He snorted, kicking her leg. "Shut up," he laughed. He sobered up a little, frowning. "I needed to tell you because…he knows my identity. Like…he knows I'm Chat Noir."
Her expression grew a little more fond, relaxed, and Chat wasn't expecting that. "He, huh?"
Chat rolled his eyes, aware that he was blushing. "Yeah, yeah, shut it. You're not more worried about the fact that he knows who I am?"
She shrugged. "I am. But…it's been over two years since we started doing this. Hawkmoth hasn't shown up in…a couple weeks? Months? I don't think I could keep this from anyone I was dating, either. I'm…I'm even kind of sick of keeping it from you."
"So why do you?" he asked, tilting his head. He wasn't going to push – he'd stopped that years ago. He was just curious, now.
Ladybug shrugged. "Hawkmoth could come back. Could use it against us. I don't know, I just…get scared, sometimes. What could happen. Who could get hurt."
Chat drew his legs up under him in a pretzel position, looking down at the street. "I get that," he murmured. "I…I came out to my father today, and it was…terrifying. But he was so much gentler than I thought he'd be, I…was so scared he wouldn't…"
Ladybug's arm slid around his shoulders and he leaned into the touch, shutting his eyes. There was a time where this would have made him fully melt. Now, he was just relieved to have so many accepting people in his life. "I'm glad he did," she said, thumb circling his shoulder. It had healed remarkably well, given the shoddy aftercare the wound had gotten. "You would have been welcome to crash with me if he hadn't."
Chat snorted. "I got that a lot today, you wouldn't believe. I had my boyfriend and two of my friends waiting down the street and ready to kick ass if he rejected me."
Ladybug went quiet for a moment. "Must be good friends," she said finally.
He hummed. "They are."
"Hey Chat?"
"Yeah?"
"Are…what's his name? Your boyfriend?"
He straightened, meeting her gaze head on and frowning. "You know I can't tell you that. Unless you wanted to…"
He tilted his head, studying the way her eyes dropped, her cheeks pinked, her lips quivered close to a smile. "You know," he realized, an epiphany dawning over him. "You know who I'm dating as a civilian. Which you could only know if you also know me as a civilian."
Ladybug bit her lip, looking away fully, and Chat stared for a long minute. Her posture, her hair, her eyes, the gentle way in which she spoke. Emotion worked it's way through his chest and he shivered, leaning over and dragging her into a tight hug. She reciprocated with no hesitation and he sighed into her shoulder, tears prickling his vision.
"You are such a good friend, Marinette," he whispered.
"So are you, Adrien."
Nino opened his window to Chat Noir, unamused. "I swear to god, if you're hurt again, I will-"
"Again?" came another voice, and Ladybug swooped in. Nino's stomach swooped at the sight of her. She ignored him and glared at Chat. "What does he mean, again?"
Chat rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh…I may have gotten badly injured a couple weeks ago because of a mugging I stopped on patrol? And came here to…get stitches?"
Ladybug squawked and slapped him in the chest, her jaw falling. "Oh my fucking GOD, that explains what happened in…." She stopped suddenly, eyeing Nino once, and then finished, even slower. "….gym class."
The world reeled and Nino took a step back, ready to hyperventilate. "Um."
Chat reached out, gentle, taking his hand. His claws scraped Nino's skin lightly, sending a shiver up his spine and making his arm erupt in goosebumps. "It's okay," he said, gentle. "She knows. And I know. And she…we…wanted you to know, in case."
Nino's brain was melting.
His boyfriend was Chat Noir. Ladybug…was in his gym class. And he was able to rule out pretty much every girl except one, the obvious choice.
His boyfriend was Chat Noir, and one of his best friends was Ladybug.
"You guys are gonna kill me," he groaned, thumping his head into Chat's shoulder.
Ladybug laughed. "Hopefully not."
Her hand settled on his back and Nino glanced up at her. Her voice was soft. "I know what you were worried about, at first. And it's okay. I swear, I'm…that's done."
Nino gave her a small, crooked smile. Mischief wormed into his grin. "If that's the case…I know a certain fox who really has a thing for a bug."
"Alya is Rena?" Chat asked in surprise.
"You're an idiot," Nino laughed, wrapping his arms tight around his boyfriend's hips. Ladybug was bright red, and Nino winked. "Just saying."
"You're the worst," Ladybug grumbled. "I was just coming by to drop off your dumb boyfriend. Good riddance, you two."
Chat and Nino both stuck out their tongues as she left, shutting the window behind her. "Claws off," and Nino was surrounded by a gentle, green light. Plagg grumbled as he settled onto Nino's shoulder, and Nino nodded to his bedside table. "Snacks in the drawer," he offered.
Plagg bolted and Nino turned to Adrien, brushing a whisper of a kiss over his lips. "Sleepy?"
"Mm. It's been a long day."
Nino huffed. "I can imagine. C'mon."
He dragged Adrien to bed, shutting the lights off and tucking in close, fingers lacing through Adrien's and his nose buried in his shirt. Nino sighed, content.
Plagg nuzzled his way onto Nino's pillow, grumbling about the couple being a set of bed hogs, and Adrien gave a sleepy snort, ignoring him and pressing his lips to Nino's forehead. "He's whiny," he mumbled into his hair.
Nino rolled his eyes. "I've learned."
"You'll get used to it."
"I hope so."
Nino would love Plagg wait omg can you imagine them having a little handshake like he does with Wayzz? Precious precious beans.
This is also cross-posted to my AO3! Reviews are motivating!