If he didn't have to talk to anyone till Friday, it would be too soon.

As soon as Adrien entered school, Chloe clung to him, asking if he could attend XY's next concert with her, even though she knew his father would never in a million years let him. She was persistent though, as if she thought that Adrien could change his Dad's mind if she just bugged him enough. Chloe was forever of the opinion that she could nag Adrien into being more combatative and rebellious. Once, she'd tried to convince him to get a belly button piercing after he'd come complaining to her about how his father micro-managed every part of his appearance. Adrien knew that Chloe only wanted him to learn how to take care of himself - even if she was a little misguided about what he needed protecting from, like Marinette, who she refused to accept was just a friend - but her attention made him feel claustrophobic. So it was with great difficulty that he pried himself away from her in an attempt to escape from having to decline the invitation. Chloe did not accept what she considered 'excuses' and that made declining invitations to events such as this quite difficult.

"Why don't you take Sabrina instead, Chlo? You know my father won't let me come."

"Eugh. You're no fun, you know that Adrikins? You are perfectly capable of sneaking out of your bodyguard's watch and coming." complained Chloe, but she detached herself from his arm anyway and went to bother Sabrina instead. Adrien took this as a sign that Chloe trusted him to not get too lonely without plans for Friday night.

Nino beckoned from their desk.

"C'mon dude, get over here. I don't know why you let her drape herself all over you like that."

Adrien inwardly sighed, Chloe and Nino would never get along and it was pointless to try and explain Chloe's better qualities to someone who had never seen any of them displayed.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry about not being able to make it to the sweetheart ice-cream date," he replied.

"You didn't miss much. Marinette went off like a firecracker at Andre, and he got akumatized, but that's about it."

"Are you being serious Nino? Marinette?"

"I know right, dude! Crazy, much? But Andre kept bothering her about a crush she was insisting she didn't have and she got super embarrassed. Her face was brick red, I'm telling you."

"How did Andre describe her crush?" Adrien inquired, curious. Was this related to Marinette saying her heart had been broken?

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden? Do you wish it was you? Have you finally given up on your obsession over ladybug?" Nino looked up at Adrien with a strange expression.

"Marinette's just a friend," Adrien hissed, mad at Nino, "and I told you about the Ladybug thing in confidence. Say it a little louder, would you?" Adrien had been extremely disgruntled when during a game of truth or dare, Nino had convinced Adrien to tell him about his 'celebrity' crush on Ladybug; Nino had not lost a single chance to bring it up and tease him about it, or judge him about it. Best friends sucked sometimes.

"Right," Nino sighed, "Marinette's just a friend. Can I borrow your textbook? I left mine at home again and I need it much more than you. I suuck at chemistry."

Something felt off. Adrien wasn't sure what he'd done wrong, but Alya hadn't passed a single note to him. Nino, on the other hand, had been having some sort of scribbled argument with her, but Alya hadn't even deigned to pass a single scrap of paper Adrien's way. It was boring, because Nino wasn't talking to him, as he was busy fighting Alya and Plagg had long since curled up in a camembert box to take an afternoon nap. Adrien had covered the work they were doing in class an age ago with his private tutor and so was left to occupy his time by himself.

He thought back on his and Marinette's conversation – her blush as she earnestly told him that her crush was way out of her league and how she messed up all the words she spoke to him. Now, Adrien knew that Marinette had a problem with speaking sometimes, so that wasn't strange. What was strange was who she could possibly be interested in that was out of her league. Adrien had a fair idea of who Marinette was friends with in their class, having been invited to several events with them. So as far as he could see, the contenders were Nino, who already had a girlfriend so it couldn't be him; Kim, who was not out of Marinette's league in any way shape or form, and come to think of it, she never stuttered around him either; Max, which was unlikely because Marinette could chat to him about UMS III for hours on end; Ivan, who again, already had a girlfriend; Marc, who she barely saw; Nathaniel, who, well, she'd said no when he had a crush on her, but then again feelings changed, so maybe?; and then Luka, who… well Luka had joked before about how Marinette had been tripping over her feet and her words when he first met her, so it was probably him, right? It just, Marinette didn't strike him as the sort who would like someone so… so … Adrien didn't know, but his sixth sense told him it was wrong. Besides, what was it about Luka that made him so out of her league? He wasn't special. He didn't even know any interesting puns and his music always fell flat. Although Adrien supposed that puns just weren't Luka's forte. Or Adrien could stop playing this guessing game and just ask Marinette later. On their fake date. It'd be weirdly appropriate to talk romance on the fake date.

"Dude, are you day-dreaming again? You won't get away with that another time." Nino whispered as he bent over the borrowed textbook. "Mme Mendeliev was mad enough last time she caught you doing that."

"I'm much more likely to get caught by talking to you!" Adrien hissed back.

"It isn't fair that you get to pay zero attention in class and still get top marks. Gimme your secrets dude. Help a brother out." Nino lamented.

"I will give you my secret: Spend all of your time at home going over stuff with a private tutor."

"Ok, I hear your secret and I say nah."

"I thought you would. Hey, who do you think Marinette likes?"

Nino stared at him for a moment in contemplation, "I dunno dude, who do you think Marinette likes? And why do you care?" Nino's face looked weird. "Seeing as how she's just a friend and all."

"Well, she's so great; she deserves to find her dream partner."

Nino looked like he knew something Adrien didn't.

"Okay dude."

Line Break

"I'm telling you Alya. He asked," Nino hissed excitedly, "he asked who I though Marinette liked."

"You're kidding."

"Nuh uh. Watch and I bet you will notice him acting strangely."

"This is so brilliant. I ship it."

"Do you wanna do the thing?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

A/N:

I love Adrien's obliviousness. It's just so…all-encompassing. I feel for Nino, having to deal with that emotionally short-sighted, cinnamon roll of a moron friend. This is not my best chapter, so bear with me. I think the next one's better?