Adrien was losing his freaking mind.
Saying he was sitting was inaccurate, it was probably better to say he was vibrating in his chair as class was called into session.
The teacher took her place at the head of the room, starting to address everyone when Adrien felt a tap on his arm and almost jumped out of his skin.
Nino was looking at him wide eyed, saying quietly "Dude are you okay?" His expression made it clear to Adrien how wacked out he must look but he couldn't help it, the tension had built so much within him he felt like he was going to snap in half.
It had been a week.
"I'm cool," Adrien blatantly lied, looking away from Nino and doing his best to sit still, but he couldn't, not really. Even when he managed to stop the tapping of his foot his thoughts still ran wild, like they had every second since his eavesdropping.
Why had nothing happened yet? Nothing had happened, it was driving him insane. There had been no contact, no masked women swinging in to say hello. Adrien had learned an unbelievable amount of information all at once but now nothing was happening and he was a wreck over it. What had changed? Obviously she had seemed hesitant but she wouldn't just back out would she? Nino was a stone wall, never letting anything slip or any sentence trail off in a way that Adrien could exploit for answers to questions he shouldn't even have. He wasn't supposed to know, so obviously nobody was considering what was happening to him. Adrien was supposed to be a blissful bystander until his lady came to him, but she hadn't.
Why?
Adrien shifted yet again in his seat, laying his head down in his arms almost to weigh himself down. He could feel Nino watching him any chance he could, but a small unreasonable part of Adrien's mind didn't feel all that bad. After all he was drowning in anxiety right now, Nino could deal with a little worry.
Adrien clamped his teeth together tightly, barely keeping in a groan of frustration.
No, Nino shouldn't have to deal with anything he was- he was amazing. Nino was the greatest friend anyone could ever have Adrien should have a fruit basket right now.
He had already spent the past week being as good to Nino as possible, making him laugh every chance he got and inviting him out to go places. As the days ticked by his affection had threatened to become smothering as he became more and more anxious over a rendezvous that hadn't happened yet. Adrien had forced himself to back off then, carefully towing the line between 'oh wow thanks' and 'another video game?' Still though, the more time that passed the harder it became to rationalize.
Had she lost interest? Was she so intimidated that she wouldn't even try? Maybe something else had happened that made her hesitant to pursue? He had been watching her closely during their patrols and she always seemed like she was trying to distract herself. Any 'innocent' comments he made asking whether she had any big plans coming up would just make her chew her lip in worry and quickly say "No."
And okay let's say a miracle happened and she did show up. What did he do? She was worried she wasn't going to be able to speak in front of him, he was going to die. Just, seven days. He had had seven days to fantasize and panic, thinking of every good, bad, and awful thing that could happen. What if when she was with him Plagg did something stupid and got spotted? What if she found out he was Cat Noir?
He felt something sharp and uncomfortable dig at his heart, his mood instantly dipping from anxious to wounded.
What would happen?
Would she just... not care anymore? She hadn't cared before... he swallowed a sigh. That wasn't fair to say, it wasn't that she didn't care it was just... she hadn't... it wasn't like how he...
He couldn't completely stop the sigh this time, the defeated noise going unheard by most.
Why not Cat Noir? He had found himself asking himself this a thousand times. Why not Cat Noir? Why did she care about Adrien and not him? He was the same guy but... wasn't he more himself as Cat? When he had that mask on he...
Was that it then? Had she fallen for the boy who always listened to his father, smiled when he was supposed to? Was that what she liked?
So did she really find the loud joker so... unappealing? Did she like the porcelain boy trapped in a big house?
That feeling in his chest grew, warping into something nastier and colder that made it hard to breathe. This feeling had become a semi constant companion for him as the days stretched on, but he told himself what he always did.
'Nino was right. If we really get to know each other... won't it be the same? If she lost interest when she got to know me more then... that's what happens. But I don't know that yet. I can't lose faith in the chance Nino's giving me here.'
Well... if that chance ever actually reared its head.
He sighed again. 'Porcelain boy... please don't tell me it's that way.'
Nino watched Adrien carefully for the rest of the school day, silently worrying about his friend.
Adrien had been on edge for a while now, something was up but he couldn't get a word out of him about it. It had only gotten worse as time went on, and he was grateful they had been spending more time together if only to keep an eye on him. The poor dude looked like he was going to explode, which was a feeling he could relate to.
The final school bell rang, announcing their release, and Nino used this chance to look back at Marinette as everyone got ready to leave.
And yes, there she was, pining after Adrien while his back was turned. Again, like every day since that talk in the alleyway.
'God... freaking damnit,' Nino thought to himself irritably, why. Why was this happening this was ridiculous. Nino was 100% positive that nothing could make this situation more ridiculous and complicated than it already was, like... ugh.
He gracelessly shoved his notebook and papers into his bag, probably looking a little stressed himself as he stood to leave with Adrien. Even though it was clear the model was still a second away from ripping his hair out for whatever reason he still shot Nino a concerned glance as they headed for the door.
"You okay dude? You kind of look frustrated."
'That makes two of us then,' Nino thought to himself, falling in step with his friend as they walked.
"Got a lot of stuff going on right now," Nino said vaguely, hoping sharing would encourage Adrien to do so himself.
To his surprise Adrien smiled slightly, even laughing under his breath as he said, "I can imagine." There was a small lapse of silence before Adrien asked, "Anything in particular?"
'Very particular' Nino thought again, looking over his shoulder.
Marinette and Alya were walking together a short distance behind them, getting to the top of the stairs about the same time Nino and Adrien arrived at the bottom. He could see Marinette watching them, making doubly sure that they would be far enough ahead so that she didn't have to pass them directly, and this time Nino didn't try and hide his impatience.
"Adrien," he said suddenly, pulling his friend to a stop directly blocking the stairs and effectively trapping Marinette farther up. "I'm gonna need you to roll with me on something real quick."
Adrien's eyes widened slightly at how suddenly determined and even... mischievous Nino looked.
"Uh, okay?" Adrien answered uncertainly, raising an eyebrow at the way Nino suddenly grinned.
"Great, good just keep standing there and answer me honestly."
"Wha-?" Adrien started to say, but then Nino was leaning back against the railing with his arms crossed, speaking in a slightly louder voice.
"What do you think of Ladybug?"
Adrien froze, his heart rate spiking at hearing Nino drop the name he'd been obsessing over for ages. Nino was finally talking about Ladybug, the guy he knew knew her.
Something was happening.
Adrien was instantly self-conscious, swallowing his sudden nerves as he stuttered out, "S-she's amazing."
Nino nodded, having expected as much. He kept talking in a slightly raised voice, obviously letting others hear what they were talking about, deliberately encouraging passing eavesdroppers.
"And what else?" Nino pushed, "Tell me what you really think of her."
Adrien felt like electricity crawled down his back as his breath pulled up short, suddenly faced with the confirmation of something he had long suspected.
Ladybug went to their school, and she was nearby.
He fought to keep his reaction of his face but his heart was all at once pounding in his chest, his hands clammy as he glanced at all the students nearby, passing them in a flood as school ended. She could be anywhere, but she was listening she had to be. Why else would Nino make such a show?
Nino was trying to move things along.
"She's perfect," Adrien spoke, incredibly nervous but keeping his volume no matter how much he wanted to fall quiet. "She's beautiful."
Nino's grin widened, obviously pleased with his answer and chuckling to himself. "You really think so highly of her?"
"Of course I do," Adrien said instantly, feeling hot at how quickly he said it. He didn't want to come off weird but... "She's... fantastic."
Nino's smile became self-satisfied, but Adrien couldn't tell if he was glancing in any particular direction, giving any indication of who she might be.
"Okay so, hypothetically," Nino finally said, raising his hands to make quotation marks in the air, "If like, let's say, Ladybug totally showed up at your door one day and was like, 'Hey wassup wanna chill?' you'd totally say yes right? Like no doubt at all right away down to clown?"
"Absolutely," Adrien said right away, holding his school bag close to him in a nervous gesture, but the excited smile on his face wasn't dampened. Something was happening. "The chance to spend some time with her would be... unbelievable. Like a dream come true."
Nino's face lit up with absolute jubilation at Adrien's final comment, the DJ lurching forward to clap Adrien on the back as he laughed aloud.
"I am so glad to hear you say that," Nino announced, relieving his friend of stair blocking duty and ushering him towards the exit. "You see I was pretty sure you were going to say that but hearing you say it just then really made my day. You know just like, clearing any kind of lame doubts that it wasn't the case. But it would be a 'dream come true'! Can't think of anything more concrete then that!"
Adrien let himself get pushed along, unable to keep himself from looking back into the crowd in some last ditch effort to see her, but there were easily fifty students in his line of sight alone. Nino seemed pretty wrapped up in his little victory, and Adrien realized maybe a little late that he should probably be a little more confused by Nino's actions.
"And all that was for?" Adrien asked for show, being walked straight up to his waiting car by his friend.
"Don't worry about it Romeo," Nino laughed again, going for a jovial fist bump before starting his walk home, saying something like, "I am so good at this," to himself before he exited Adrien's hearing range.
Adrien got in his car in a slight daze, his heart still pounding because she had been close. She had heard and he had just said... she was perfect and beautiful. He had...
Adrien's face was burning as he buried it in his bag, only looking up to scowl at Plagg when he appeared to laugh at him.
"Man!" Plagg laughed, recklessly in the open space of the car, "If this whole game gets any more twisted it's gonna be a pretzel!"
"Mari," Nino said into the receiver of his phone as he entered his apartment building, but his attempt to break through her tirade was wasted. "Mari," he said again, trying to talk over her babbling, "you got to chill man, it's all good."
"It's all good?! What do you mean it's all good I- I told you not to do anything!!"
"I didn't! I posed a hypothetical question that Adrien answered, that's hardly meddling."
"That is exactly what meddling is Nino!"
"And now because of that you're gonna go talk to him right?"
"I- no! I can't!"
Nino groaned, using his time waiting for the elevator to thump his head against the control panel. "Marineeeette," he whined but she was in hysterics again.
"It's not that easy Nino, I can't just-"
"You're right! It's not easy! Making this happen is like pulling teeth!" Nino exclaimed, stepping into the elevator and slumping against the wall after slamming the button to his floor.
"I-"
"Or you know what, more like pulling out railroad ties with a pair of tweezers."
"Nino!" her voice whined through the phone, and he could hear her head hitting her desk. "uuuaagh."
Nino sighed for the billionth time, pinching the bridge of his nose as he said, "Ms. Tikki are you there?"
"Yes!" Tikki's sweet voice suddenly chimed in, getting louder as she got closer to the receiver. "If you're hoping for backup I've tried everything."
Nino gave an exasperated chuckle at that, grinning at Tikki's pouty huff.
The elevator doors slid open and he headed towards his door down the hallway, saying once again what he had said every time they had this conversation, except this time with a little more ammo.
"He wants to see you, he wants to spend time with you, he thinks you're great! Prove him right! Go see him, it would be a 'dream come true' Mari. You're going to regret it if you just sit and do nothing!"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before he heard another drawn out groan, but to his delight she said, "I'm busy tonight but..."
"Tomorrow?" Nino said hopefully, quickly bringing up a calendar in his head. That would be a Saturday.
"I..." she trailed off, sighing deeply. There was another brief silence before finally, "Okay. I'm going to do it."
Nino cheered in the hallway, punching the air with his free hand and laughing excitedly. Finally they had made progress.
"God I am SO good at this!" Nino announced again, grinning like a fool as he fumbled for his house keys. He was the best wingman ever.
Nino rode the high of his victory for the rest of that day, forgoing any outings to just play video games and generally just feel awesome.
He had finally gotten the ball rolling, something was going to happen and he was satisfied knowing that he had set this opportunity in motion. What happened now was up to Adrien but at least he had made it possible, he was happy with that.
Nino had ended up staying up pretty late, the clock saying it was something close to 2:00 AM when his phone suddenly went off.
Nino paused his game, looking over at the phone lying beside him on his bed in confusion. Normally he'd ignore text messages for a little while when he was doing something but... he looked at the clock, raising an eyebrow. Maybe Alya was still awake working on her blog and wanted to bounce her crazy theories off of someone.
He had to admit, now being in on the secret? Listening to Alya's suspicions of who Ladybug might be just got funnier by the day.
Nino discarded his controller, reaching over to collect his phone and only getting more confused when he saw it was a number he didn't recognize.
However when he read it his blood ran cold.
'Can you meet me outside? Rooftop of your building- CN'
Nino stared at the message, easily three minutes passing where he didn't move a muscle, sweat beading on his forehead.
He knew this day would come.
Nino was suddenly on his feet, pacing back in forth as he held his head in a vice like grip. This was it, this was the moment. He had actually thought he had gotten away clean since so much time had passed but he should have guessed Cat Noir was only biding his time. He really was furious, he probably hated Nino. The random hat guy who got between him and 'his lady'. Pretty much singlehandedly Nino had thrown a wrench in any romantic plans Cat Noir might have had, and now the superhero with the power of complete and utter destruction expected to have a chat on the rooftop.
Oh bed, you've been good. So loyal. He knew he'd miss that old thing the most.
Okay stop, this is insane. He was overreacting. Nino forced himself to grind to a halt, taking a deep breath.
Cat Noir was a superhero. He was a good guy, he wasn't going to Cataclysm a random DJ into dust because he was feeling salty. You didn't just get superpowers if you were irrational like that right? Like Cat Noir inherently had to have some kind of... core goodness to get his ring right? Like, Marinette was practically sunshine incarnate she wouldn't like, yo-yo Chloe off a cliff or anything.
...
...Bad example maybe.
But, Nino shouldn't head out expecting some kind of fight. He probably just wanted to talk, and even if it was to shout at him he had to go out there.
Standing there in his room Nino felt that same unshakeable determination settle over him, the one he had felt when going after Adrien during the akuma rampage at school. The same sort of determination he had always associated with heroes...
Because he wasn't going to let anything Cat Noir might say ruin this. Adrien deserved more than that, and he deserved a friend who would do everything in their power to maintain the opportunity they had made. Marinette too, both of them. They were his friends... they had a chance to be together.
It was his responsibility to stand between them and Cat Noir, no matter how terrifying that prospect might be...
Nino swallowed, holding onto his resolution like a life line as he picked his phone up again, silently opening his bedroom door and heading off to whatever might happen next.
'Do it for them man...'