"So since it's Thursday, I talked to my dad and he said we could hang out for a bit."
"Sounds like a plan! What should we do?"
Adrien opened his mouth to respond with a few ideas, but seeing Nino from the door, looking like a creeper staring around the wall of mats at Marinette and Alya, made him chuckle and nudge Ella.
"Should we go help him out?" Ella followed Adrien's thumb before giggling and nodding. The pair moved over to their friend, popping out behind him.
"FYI, Marinette's never going to fall in love with a statue."
"I can attest to that."
Nino startled and pull the two behind the wall to hide.
"Shhh! You know I'm no good with the ladies, especially this one all of a sudden. I mean, dude, do I go up to her and crack her a joke? Shoot her a compliment? Invite her to the zoo? Play it serious?"
"Nino, you're way over-thinking this. "Invite her to the zoo", you serious?"
"Well, they have this really cool new exhibit there."
"I think Mari would like that, she's a simple girl- you don't have to go over-the-top to impress her."
"Listen, just be yourself, man."
"Thanks Ella, and that's easy for you to say, Mr. Front-of-the-cover-Teen-Model-weekly. I'm not that cool."
"You're cool too, dude, trust me- or you wouldn't be my best bud."
"Why did that sound like a backhanded compliment, Adrien?" The blond just shot the noirette a look before continuing.
"Invite her to the zoo. She'll say "yes", I promise."
Nodding confidently, Nino straightened his hat as he headed over to Marinette and Alya. But he panicked at the last minute and ran back to Adrien and Ella.
"What if I act like a moronosaurus, or she disses me or thinks I'm lame or-?"
"Okay, Ella and I got your back." Adrien held up his fist for a bump, Ella nodding beside him.
The lunch bell rang, Adrien, Ella and Nino grabbing their bags before hiding out behind the banister. The trio could hear Alya and Marinette talking so they moved to intercept the girls.
"...All of the above." Marinette, still looking down at the magazine in her hands, bumped into a stiff-as-a-board Nino. "Huh?"
"Oh, so sorry. Right, Nino?"
"Sorry."
"Hey girls!"
Marinette giggled and waved at Ella, before her gaze moved down to the magazine with pictures of Adrien staring up at the group.
"Ah!"
Marinette bent down to pick up the magazine before Adrien saw, but he kneeled down to pick it up for her. They end up bumping foreheads.
"Sorry." The pair spoke in sync, as Marinette grabbed the magazine.
"Sorry about that. How could we make it up to you? Any ideas...Nino?"
Adrien nudged the teen but Nino didn't answer. Ella, sighing at the whole ordeal, took the reins.
"How about we all check out the zoo today after school? I heard they've got a new... What animal was it, Nino?"
"Uh, they-they got a new panther."
"Awesome idea, right, Marinette? You love animals."
"Uh, yeah. I, uh, I'm really into zoonimals. I mean, uh, anizools. I mean zoonimoos. I..." Ella couldn't help but giggle at Marinette's word flubs; the girl's crush becoming more obvious by the day.
"Cool. Say, four o'clock? Nino, sound good? I know it's good for you, Ella." Both noirette's nodded, one stiff and one smiling.
"Cool, four o'clock then."
"Four!" Marinette chirped. Adrien nodded before taking Ella's hand in his and pulling Nino away with the other.
"Smooth move, Mr. Model- bonking heads like that." Ella teased, skipping ahead of the boys to grab some juice from the cart up the avenue. Adrien smiled at her, his heart skipping just like her. After she was akumatized three days ago, Ella opened up to him more about some stuff. He knew she wouldn't tell him everything, but her telling him about some of the darkness in her mind was a step in the right direction- one he was happy with.
"Dude- I can't wait to have a relationship like you and Ella do."
Nino's words cause the blond to literally trip over his feet, barely catching himself before face-planting into the cobble street.
"Dude seriously?!" He squeaked, his cheeks and the tips of his ears beet red.
"Yeah dude. You two are like perfect for each other. I'm surprised you two aren't actually together yet."
Adrien decided not to grace that comment with a reply, his green eyes instead finding Ella once again. She was just ahead of them, waiting with cans of juice for each of them.
"Hurry up boys!"
Finding a bench, the boys take a seat; Ella parking herself on the river wall, humming and singing to herself as she scribbled away in her journal.
"But how did you do that, dude?"
"Like I said: just be yourself."
"Right, sure. If I could be yourself; myself don't work that way." Nino sighed, his eyes drifting to Ella as Adrien takes a drink.
"You're being ridiculous. Of course you can. And when you're alone with Marinette at the zoo later on-" The teen started to say, tossing his juice can over his shoulder into the trash.
"Whoa, what do you mean alone with Marinette? Oh no, dude. You and Ella're coming with me. You can't leave me alone by myself. Uh-uh."
Adrien sighed, deciding not to argue.
"No prob, Nino. What are friends for?" The pair fist bump before turning their gaze to the Seine, Adrien's more specifically to Ella. She was still sitting, by her movements, swinging her legs as she lightly sung whatever she was writing. Adrien got up, walking over and sitting beside her.
" 'And somedays you might feel lonely, you may wanna cry but swear that you'll hold on
We'll take our scars and make 'em stars, let 'em shine up in the sky
This light is ours, and it will burn on- no matter where we are...' "
Her voice faded off before she turned to him.
"Ease-dropping isn't a cute quality, I'd say."
"And I wouldn't quite say it was ease-dropping if I could hear your beautiful voice from the bench." He smirked as the girl blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"And I really like those lyrics- very positive."
"Thanks... Have you and Nino figured out a plan for later?"
"In a way- he won't go by himself so we have to go with."
"We?"
"Yeah- about that..."