Chapter 2 – Of Comfort and Care
[TW for this chapter: Homophobia/internalised homophobia, mentions of physical abuse.]
Luka was the first to approach him after Tom announced to them he would be starting work there. Marinette wasn't far behind, an apron and name tag in her hands.
"Welcome aboard, Adrien. It'll be great to have you working with us." Marinette smiled sweetly, and held out the pieces of his uniform. "You can wear whatever you want underneath, as long as you don't mind them probably getting dirty. Just make sure you've got the apron and name tag on."
Luka slid into the seat across from Adrien like he had the day before, eyebrows raised in interest.
"I guess you really are a man of your word! Getting a job here? Can't be more of a regular if you tried."
"Ah, yeah. I've been meaning to get a job, and it seemed like it would be really nice to work here." He shrugged. "How're you, by the way? After this morning."
Marinette raised an eyebrow and looked between them. "What happened this morning?"
"We ran into each other. Like, fully knocked each other over." Luka said nonchalantly.
Marinette burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh, you did not!"
"Yeah, yeah we did." Adrien muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I'm all good." Luka nodded, chuckling softly, shaggy teal hair shifting against his forehead and into his eyes. "How's your ass? Still sore?"
Marinette snorted and left.
"Um- yeah, yes. Yes." He spluttered out. "Good- I mean. It's…good. Not sore."
He wanted to curl under the table and never come out. God.
Luka just laughed warmly, patting Adrien on the back.
Adrien's eyes flicked up to meet Luka's, his nose flaring.
The teal hair still fell across Luka's eyes, unable to stay contained in the elastic band which held his hair up in a low ponytail, the hair curling slightly at the end to rest just at the middle of Luka's neck.
He was…very beautiful.
Could men be beautiful?
Adrien thought they could be. They were. He'd been around a lot of beautiful men all his life, after all.
Maybe that was why-
Adrien tore his eyes away.
"Yeah, anyway. What…what a coincidence that I ran into you. Who could have known that we would go to the same park." Adrien said, trying to change the subject and distract himself.
"Yeah, my apartment block is about 2 minutes from the park."
"It…is?"
"Yeah. I go there every morning before work."
"My…apartment is also 2 minutes away."
"Woah, seriously?"
"Yeah. Acacia Apartments."
"You live- what floor?"
"3."
"Are you the one who's always playing guitar?" Adrien asked, sitting forward in his seat.
He was the last room on the floor, so he only had one neighbour. And that neighbour played guitar every afternoon. As annoying as it should have been, it wasn't. Whoever it was was obviously good at playing, and it was nice and almost comforting to hear.
Much better than the dead silence of the mansion he'd grown up inside.
"You wouldn't happen to be in room 13, would you, Luka?"
Luka's eyebrows raised, then Luka nodded, and sat back in his chair, stunned.
"Well isn't that the biggest coincidence ever." Was all Luka said.
Adrien left shortly after, reeling from the discovery.
What were the chances!?
Later that afternoon, he heard the door open and shut to room 13, now knowing who it was. When that guitar indeed started playing, he had a face to put it to.
Adrien had been right, about the calluses. Luka was a guitar player.
Luka just became a lot more attractive than he already was. Adrien loved a man who could play guitar, and that long hair-
His head whipped to the wall that separated their rooms.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
The guitar stopped.
Or maybe it was Adrien's heart that stopped.
Or maybe all of time stood still and collapsed in on Adrien.
And maybe that wouldn't be so bad.
Maybe it was better than-
Thoughts of gorgeous men ran through his head, unrelenting like a steam engine and with the force of being hit by one going full speed.
Even if he'd escaped his father, he could never escape the hatred he felt towards himself. That hate was instilled in him by his father.
No matter how far away he'd gotten, he hadn't been able to shake that deep self loathing.
He wasn't-
He couldn't be-
But it was.
And that was why…
That was why his father had switched him to exclusively work with female models and only female models.
That was why he'd dictated his friendships, who he dated.
That was why…
That was why his father hadn't cared. His father only cared about his image.
Because god forbid he'd ever have a gay bastard for a son.
'No gay would ever be a son of mine. Think of how that looks. Image ruined. It's disgusting and disgraceful.'
Maybe that was why his father hated him so much.
Why he learned all the places he could hide the bruises.
Where he could hit Adrien and never be caught.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
"I'm not- I'm not gay. I like women. Women are great, they're super hot. I could never be gay. Because that's disgusting."
He shoved it down.
Shoved everything down.
The thoughts of Luka.
The way his eyes shone and the subtle way Luka's muscles would flex.
He tried to push it away forever.
But it stayed.
And so he ignored it.
And he tuned out the guitar.
And Luka's voice as he sang.
And the way Adrien wanted Luka to be playing for him.
Adrien walked into the café a week later, ready for his first shift.
He'd completely avoided coming until now. He only left his apartment a handle of times that week, and only when he knew that Luka wasn't there.
He'd left 5 minutes before he knew that Luka would that morning, making sure he wouldn't have to run into Luka before seeing him at work.
If they were at work, he would be fine.
He would be fine.
He would be-
Fine.
Holy shit, Luka looked so fine with his hair out, long enough to almost reach his shoulders.
Adrien looked away and felt like crying.
This had not been a good idea.
Why.
Why did his father still have to haunt him.
He'd left, he'd gotten away.
His father couldn't hurt him anymore.
And yet…
And yet he could.
An: 'what were the chances [of us being neighbours, etc].' Adrien. Honey. It was guaranteed, this is a fanfiction. What else did you expect? Living hours and hours away from each other? No.
And they were neighbours. [evil laugh]
I'm really looking forward to exploring Adrien's trauma and complex emotions. It's going to be so fun.
As a warning, the chapters will deal with heavy topics and they will not always be as 'happy' as the first one all the time.
Thanks!
