#Platonic Adrino

[kasienda]

You Don’t Have to Pretend with Me

“Can I talk to you?”

Carapace sighed at the question. “Yeah, of course.” And he obediently followed Ladybug.

“What do you have against Chat Noir?”

“Nothing!” he denied.

She gave him a flat disbelieving look.

“He has something against me!” Carapace insisted.

“Nino, I don’t get it. You’re one of the most chill, accepting guys I know. And Chat is the sweetest! I need both of you on the team. I literally don’t have anyone else I trust to replace either of you. I need you to get along. You think you can do that?”

Nino felt like he was being chastised by his mother for not getting along with his little brother.

He nodded. “Yeah, I will try.”

It shouldn’t be that hard. Nino didn’t not like Chat Noir. He thought the dude was cool and hilarious. His sense of humor reminded him of Adrien. Things hadn’t always been tense between them. When they fought back to back during Heroes’ Day, it had felt like they were brothers.

But it was clear to him that Chat Noir wasn’t his biggest fan. The other hero had been welcoming and kind to Rena Rouge on day one, to the point of borderline flirting (and Nino wasn’t a huge fan of that even now), while he had always been somewhat aloof with Carapace.

Then there  was  the whole Chat Noir is stealing my girl thing. And even though he  knew that wasn’t what happened, it was hard to just let go of all those feelings, especially since Chat Noir had been acting differently around him after Rocketear. And maybe he had a right to be after Nino's akuma had thrown him into a van, but it wasn’t like Chat Noir knew that Nino and Carapace were the same person, so why had he started avoiding Carapace?

With all of that, it was easy to snap at the other hero.

...

Adrien couldn’t figure out why things between Adrien and Nino had always been so easy when things between Chat Noir and Carapace felt so hard.

Like, he knew he was different as Chat, but he was far less different as Adrien with Nino than anyone else. Or he had been before Rocketear.

And now? Now, he had no idea how he was supposed to act. Had no idea what Nino wanted from Chat Noir, but it was  very  clear he wasn’t measuring up.

Had Nino just taken pity on him that first day of school? Maybe Adrien was irritating all the time and Nino was just too kind to show it. Did Nino actually like him at all?

“Dude, you okay?” Nino interrupted his musings.

Adrien started and looked up into warm concerned golden eyes, and sucked in a breath.

That had to be sincere, right? Nino wasn’t pretending to care. He wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t care.

“Mec! What’s wrong?” Nino asked again.

“Nothing!” Adrien lied, pasting on a bright smile.

Nino frowned. “This is clearly not nothing.”

“I…” Adrien didn’t know how to talk about any of this.

“I don’t mean to pressure you,” Nino backpedaled immediately. “If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. I just…” Nino pursed his lips before pinning him with a look Adrien didn’t know how to interpret. “You don’t have to pretend. Not with me. Not ever.”

Adrien nodded, but he couldn’t be reassured. Because he knew Nino was wrong.

He had to pretend when he was Chat Noir.

And he  knew that he wasn’t being completely fair, that Nino thought he was two different people.

But the hurt was still there, and Adrien didn’t know how to erase those feelings when he was hanging out with Nino.

And since he couldn’t explain any of it without revealing secrets he wasn’t allowed to share, he didn’t know how to  stop  pretending. That’s just what he  did.

…

Nino watched as Adrien walked away. He didn’t know what he was doing wrong, but Adrien was distant. He wasn’t talking to him anymore. Not about school or home. Not even about stupid stuff like the latest anime he was obsessed with. And to make it worse, Adrien gave him more and more false platitudes and fake smiles.

Adrien was treating him the same way he treated Chloe. With polite indifference.

Nino couldn’t help but wonder what he had done wrong.

Nino kept trying though. He sent Adrien a bunch of cat memes, tried to invite him out to lunch, shared some of the music that he was working on, and he had asked what was wrong so many times, Nino suspected they were both sick of hearing it.

But Nino couldn’t give up.

Because what if this had nothing to do with Nino at all?! What if something horrible had happened to Adrien and he was just like this with everyone now?

He’d have to watch Adrien the next time he was around Marinette to check, but in the meantime, Nino wanted to break something.

And unfortunately for probably everyone, it was Chat Noir who happened to cross his path first.

…

It took Chat about a moment after Carapace had snapped at him to find his voice. And if it had been anyone else, anyone besides Nino, he probably could have taken it in stride. But it  was Nino and Adrien was tired of pretending everything was okay.

“What the hell is your problem? What did I ever do to you? Why do you hate me?” he demanded.

Carapace froze, his eyes wide and startled. “I don’t know!”

“You don’t know why you hate me?” Chat repeated in disbelief. That seemed kinda shallow for Nino.

“No! That’s not what I meant. I don’t know what my problem is. I swear I don’t actually hate you, dude.”

“You don’t?” Chat wasn’t sure he believed it.

Carapace slid to the ground and buried his head in his knees. He wasn’t shaking, so Chat didn’t think he was crying. At least, not yet.

“Are you okay?” Chat asked, falling into an awkward crouch near Carapace’s huddled form, but not anywhere as close that Nino would think he was pushing into his space.

Carapace shook his head, finally looking up. “I’m really angry.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I pride myself on being totally chill. A completely low maintenance dude. But lately, it seems like everyone is mad at me. And I don’t know why. And I don’t know how to fix any of it!”

“Who’s mad at you?”

“Who isn’t?!” Carapace snapped.

Chat was silent.

Carapace sighed and looked back at him. “Sorry. I don’t mean to unload on you. You probably don’t care about my problems. I know I’ve been a jerk to you. You’re just… larger than life, ya know? Doesn’t seem like anything can hurt you. And I…” he trailed off, not sure what he was saying.

“You’re jealous of me?”

Carapace shook his head. “No, that’s not it. It’s more like, I have to be strong for everyone. And you, you seem like you can take anything that life throws at you.”

“I’m your scapegoat,” Chat realized out loud. The tension in his body faded and he slowly took a seat next to Carapace. Closer than Chat probably would have, but not as close as Adrien wanted to. “Someone who can handle you lashing out at them.”

“Dude! I’m sorry! That’s so messed up. I didn’t even realize I was doing it. But yeah, I think that’s what I’ve been doing. With Alya, I didn’t want to be mad at her. It was easy to be mad at you instead - some anonymous hero who never seemed to like me anyway.”

“What made you think I didn’t like you?”

“You referred to me as the turtle when we met.”

“What?”

“When Rena joined the team, you were excited. You said her name and flirted with her.”

“I didn’t flirt with her!” Chat objected.

Carapace arched an eyebrow at him.

“I was just… trying to be charming. How do you know about it anyway?” Chat shook his head before the question was finished. “Right. You guys are dating.”

“Dated.”

Chat stopped breathing. “Y-You broke up?”

Carapace shrugged. “Yeah, it’s probably my fault. I guess I’m not good at this whole communication thing. I guess when I’m upset I just put my head in my shell and pretend it’s not happening.”

Chat swallowed hard and looked away. “How long ago?”

“About a month.”

“A month?!” Chat hissed. “Why didn’t… I mean, have you talked about this with anyone?”

Carapace shook his head. “There’s no one to talk to.”

“There’s no one?” The heavy sadness struck him in the chest harder than any hit he had ever taken. He had been so busy feeling hurt, he hadn’t realized Nino was hurting too.

“I’ve been pretty lonely most of my life,” Carapace said. “I was friendly with everyone, but I was never good at making friends.”

Chat drank in every word. This was all news to him.

“I thought that was changing. I made this really great friend at the beginning of last year and then there was Alya. And it just felt like everything was right. And then she broke up with me. And my best friend…” he trailed off. He didn’t even know what happened with Adrien.

“Yeah?”

Carapace shrugged. “I don’t know! He just clammed up one day. Started pasting on fake smiles the way he does for everyone else. He won’t tell me anything. And I’m scared he’s mad at me, but I don’t know what I did! And if he’s not mad at me, I’m terrified something happened to him and if he’s not talking to me, he’s not talking to anyone.”

To Chat’s horror, Nino started crying.

“I just love the dude so much,” his voice cracked. “I feel like I lost him too and honestly, that has hurt more than losing Al- I mean Rena. Fuck! I totally blew my identity this conversation, didn’t I?”

Chat burst into laughter. “If it makes you feel better, I already knew.”

Carapace’s face fell. “Oh. Is that… is that why you’ve been weird with me since Rocketear?”

“Sort’ve,” Chat hedged. It was really more complicated than a jealous Rocketear trying to thrash Chat Noir into tiny pieces.

“I’m really sorry for that whole mess.”

Chat shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Like I said at the time, we all have doubts.”

“Even you,” Carapace echoed.

Chat shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to talk about that particular bit of vulnerability.

Carapace was kind enough not to push. Chat shouldn’t have been surprised. Nino had always been great at respecting Adrien’s boundaries. But somehow, he was.

“Well, I guess I should thank you,” Carapace said.

Chat swung his head toward Carapace. “For what?!”

Carapace shrugged again. “I don’t know. Listening? Taking my crap? Just… I don’t know… being real with me? I promise I’ll try not to unload all my baggage onto you anymore, cat dude. Just because you can take it doesn’t mean you should have to. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Chat said.

“It really isn’t.”

This time Chat shrugged. “But in a way I feel flattered?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I hate the unsolicited crit and the snapping turtle attitude. The total lack of grace or understanding when I’m late or can’t make it when you know I can’t explain anything—“

Carapace groaned, burying his face into his hands.

Chat laughed.

“But I  am flattered that you could just be your raw unfiltered self around me when you couldn’t be that around anyone else. I don’t have very much of that in my life either.”

Carapace shot back up, his eyes wide behind his goggles. “What do you mean?”

“Just that I can’t afford to be myself most of the time in my civilian life. Partially because of my… umm… parents, and partly because I have to hide my identity. And I did have one friend,” Chat looked up at him then, “that I felt pretty comfortable around, but that’s been rocky lately, too.”

Carapace nodded. “I’m sorry, man. All of that is rough. What happened with your friend?”

“He doesn’t know about this half of me and it’s caused some issues. I’ve tried to pretend that everything is fine, but… I think I might have lost my best friend, too.” Chat admitted, glancing at him carefully.

Carapace nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I definitely know how that feels.”

“Maybe I’ll try talking to him again,” Chat said.

“Too bad you can’t just tell him who you are.”

Chat bit his lip. He wasn’t supposed to, and he definitely knew better than to ask for permission, but… Ladybug had told someone her identity. Would it really be so bad if he told Nino?

“Maybe you should try again with your friend, too,” he said.  

Carapace sighed and looked up at the sky. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying with him, but I doubt it’ll go any different. My friend… he’s not allowed a lot of boundaries in his life. He’s scared to set them. And like, so when he does, I can’t push back. If I do, he’ll cave, like, immediately. And I’m supposed to be chill and laid back. He’s not supposed to have to try with me.”

Chat was stared at him, more than a little floored, but also a little upset at this new context.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m just… that’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”

“I love him.”

“Even so, you’re only human. Maybe he needs to remember that, too. And maybe he wants you to be able to be totally yourself when you’re around him, too.”

…

Nino was waiting on the sidewalk outside the school building. Adrien’s car would pull up in exactly four minutes - the same time it did every school morning. Other people arrived and chatted with one another as they moved up the stairs. But Nino could barely pay attention to any of it, his eyes on the road waiting for the familiar white vehicle to pull up.

He tapped his toe into the ground, and he tried to keep his hands in his pockets to look more casual, but they wouldn’t stay there as he kept fidgeting.

Why was he so nervous? This was  Adrien. His best friend might not be talking to him, but he would still hear him out and he was always insanely patient.

When the car finally pulled up, Nino’s heart seemed to rise up into his throat and his palms were wet with sweat. He  really shouldn’t be this nervous. Adrien was going to step out of the car and give him a polite and distant smile, and then start walking beside him as they headed to home room.

Only, that’s not what happened at all. Adrien stepped out of the car, but when he did he was beaming a megawatt smile brighter than the sun. When he walked up to Nino, he offered his fist and Nino had to scramble to meet it to play out their old secret handshake that they haven’t done… in  weeks!  

It felt good. Like so good, and Nino laughed more in relief than anything else. Had he just imagined the last few weeks of distance and cold shoulders?

He almost didn’t want to bring anything up, not wanting to upset this return to joyous normalcy. But at the same time Nino was so confused, and he needed to understand because if he  did  do something wrong, he needed to understand what happened so he wouldn’t do it again.

“Hey, dude? Can we talk before we go to class?”

Adrien nodded. “I think it’s long overdue.”

And Nino was thrown and relieved all over again that Adrien wasn’t denying that there was something worthy of talking about.

Adrien led them to a storage closet where he jiggled the handle very precisely and the normally locked door just fell open.

Clearly, Adrien had used this space before.

“Dude! Did you just break us into a closet?”

“Shh!“ And Adrien yanked him inside.

Two minutes later they were sitting side by side on upside down plastic buckets in the overcrowded closet.

“So what do you want to talk about?”

Nino clutched his own shoulder, and shot a glance at Adrien who was still smiling patiently at him. This felt like such a stupid question.

“Are we okay?” Nino made himself ask.

“We’re okay on my end,” Adrien said. “Are we okay on yours?”

“Yes!” Nino assured rapidly, but Adrien raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t actually believe him. And Nino wilted. “Actually, no.”

Adrien nodded like he was expecting it. Adrien knew something was off - he still wasn’t denying everything was fine.

“Go on.”

“You’ve felt really far away recently, dude. Except for today. I feel like I keep reaching out and I keep asking what’s up, but you never tell me, which is fine if it’s other stuff. You don’t have to tell me stuff. I just… you’ve been so distant, and it feels like you’re lying. Not that I’m accusing you of lying! I just… i just feel like I did something wrong. And I… I miss you.”

Adrien put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be far away and distant. I didn’t want to lie. I literally couldn’t explain what was wrong and I probably still shouldn’t.”

Nino held his breath.

“I was distant because of how you treated me.”

Nino was super confused. And it must have shown on his face because Adrien instantly held his hands up.

“No wait. Let me explain.”

Nino nodded.

“You’ve always said that I didn’t have to pretend with you, but it really really felt like that wasn’t the case.”

“Dude! I’ve always tried to just be chill and to respect your boundaries.”

“And you did… when you knew I was Adrien.”

“When I knew you were Adrien?” Nino repeated slowly, every muscle in his body was suddenly pulled tight. “There was a time when I didn’t know you were Adrien?”

This was sounding too familiar, but Nino couldn’t pinpoint why. And if the dread pooling in his gut was anything to go by, he didn’t want to.

“More than one time.”

Nino’s gut twisted further in on itself. “When?”

“When I was Chat Noir.”

Nino literally couldn’t breathe. His eyes were hot and his throat was caving in. And holy fuck.

He rolled forward, burying his face into his knees, as he tried to hold back the torrents that wanted to break forth.

He didn’t succeed. He shook like a musician just before going on stage for his first gig. But the wailing was so much worse than that.

Adrien was talking, but Nino couldn’t hear him, his mind too busy reviewing everything he had ever said about Chat Noir to Adrien, everything he had said and done  to  Chat Noir, who was apparently his best friend.

Adrien who  was so good at taking heat and never saying anything because at home saying something always made everything worse.

Nino had always aspired to be an escape, a safe place for Adrien. And Nino had been betraying that every time he had used Chat Noir as a punching bag to lash out at when things weren’t going well for him.

“Nino!” Adrien’s hands were on his face and his shoulders, pulling him in. And Nino let him, feeling limp like a rag doll. “It’s okay now!”

Nino shook his head violently. It didn’t feel okay. Not remotely. “Dude! I’m… I’m so sorry,” he choked out.

“You already apologized,” Adrien reminded him gently.

This was why Adrien had been so happy to see him this morning. Carapace and Chat Noir had talked things out. “I know, but it feels so much worse now.”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, it felt worse to me too. But Nino, you didn’t know.”

Nino only cried harder. “You weren’t supposed to tell me, were you?”

“Hey! This was your idea! When Ladybug finds out I’m compromised, I’m definitely throwing you under the bus.”

Nino laughed through his tears. “I’m fine with that. I would deserve it after… everything.”

“Nino, I was joking.”

“I wasn’t.”

Adrien sighed. “So, are we okay?”

Nino nodded rapidly. “If you think we’re okay, we’re definitely okay.”

“I’m uh… sorry about Alya.”

“That wasn’t your fault, dude! It wasn’t Adrien’s or Chat Noir’s.”

“I meant more that I made you feel like you couldn’t talk to me about it?”

Nino nodded. “It’s fine. I’m… not totally okay, especially when it felt like I had lost you, too. But,” and Nino pulled off what had to be the most watery smile, “I think I will get there. Thank you.”

“I love you, too, you know.”

“What?”

“You told me as Chat that you loved me as Adrien.”

Heat burned in Nino’s neck and ears. “I did say that. I didn’t know I was telling you though.”

“I know, but that’s how I knew you meant it, and weren’t just saying it to be nice to the awkward loner kid who needs friends.”

“Dude, before you joined our class,  I  was the awkward loner kid who needed friends!”

Adrien smiled. “But I never knew that either until you told Chat.”

“Gah! This is so confusing!” Nino complained.

Adrien grinned. “But it’s awesome, right?”

Nino mirrored the expression. “Hell yeah! Definitely awesome!”

And they stood and immediately pulled each other into a hug. And if they had been twenty minutes late to class, no one said anything.

…

“What the hell happened?!” Ladybug demanded of her earpiece.

Rena Furtive chuckled into her ear. “You’re the one that yelled at them. I thought you wanted them to get along?”

“I did! I do! But now-”  She gestured to the two boys laughing their heads off as they kept trying to outdo each other with increasingly complicated stunts that they failed more than half of the time. “Now, they’re just being stupid.”

Rena Furtive laughed again. “I, for one, am glad to see Carapace so happy again. A mopey turtle is just wrong.”

And Ladybug softened. “Yeah, you’re right. A pouty kitty wasn't fun either. I’m glad they’ve bounced back.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Now, can you please go in there and show them how it’s done since I can’t? They’re embarrassing us!”

Ladybug laughed before launching herself towards the new tight-knit duo she had on her team.

“You guys, dating or something?” she asked, as she landed next to them.

Chat Noir and Carapace shared a look. It felt like they were having a whole conversation with just their eyes, and they suddenly both grinned and nodded at one another in agreement.

“Guys are allowed to have emotionally close friends, bugaboo!” Chat told her.

“Doesn’t mean anything is romantic or sexual,” Carapace added.

Ladybug held up her hands in surrender. “I’m not judging either way. Just happy that you’re finally getting along!”

#miraculous ladybug fanfiction #platonic adrino #caranoir enemies to friends #healing friendship #post rocketear #talking it out #one shot #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #my own content #you don't have to pretend with me

[jennagrinsoverml]

do you know any good adrino fics?

So as lovesquare stan and monoshipper, I’m able to acknowledge that adrino is absolutely amazing and would be my ship of choice if not for the love square. (Seriously, how is lukadrien so popular when adrino is right there???) But sadly, I only read platonic adrino. (Okay, I wrote this when I first started compiling this ask, but I have recently started so I may do a less platonic rec list later.)

However, the amazing @kasienda has put together two wonderful adrino rec lists:

Adrino Rec List 1

Adrino Rec List 2

I do have lots of platonic adrino recs though! I...may have gotten a little carried away with this one...oops? Oh well, enjoy!

Off the Mark by @buggachat​

Ever since Nino’s (frankly embarrassing) akumatization into Rocketear, Chat Noir’s behavior had taken a strange and sudden turn in the presence of Carapace, and Nino could only think of one possible explanation:

Chat Noir hated him.

Somehow, Adrien didn’t seem to agree.

One-shot. As you all may have realized by now, I’m an absolute sucker for misunderstandings, and I’ve been desperate for good fic dealing with the aftermath of Rocketear since it came out. And this is just SPECTACULAR! Nino doesn’t understand why Adrien’s so bothered, but of course it’s clear to us as readers, and it’s finally resolved so beautifully omg I love this fic!!!

The Five Minute Adventures of Snake Noir by @kasienda​

After Ladybug admits to Chat Noir that she told someone her identity, she insists that he do the same. He wants it to be her. She insists it has to be anyone else. He suggests they use the snake. She finds this to be a reasonable compromise.

After many heartfelt five minute conversations that Ladybug doesn't remember, she decides he should keep the snake. That way he can always confide in her if he needs to. He also realizes it means he can talk to anyone… for five minutes... on repeat.

Multi-chapter. This is also a love square fic, but it’s amazing to see Adrien get to confide in Nino and get the support he so desperately needs. An Nino isn’t just some minor character in this, we get focus on him and his relationships too! 

such small things by @guardiankarenterrier​

It starts with such small things.

It starts with things Nino does without thinking about it, because they’re just the sort of thing you do for friends, and he’s never had to think about them before.  Nino hasn’t had that many friends himself, at least not outside of their class, but the ones he does have are good friends- he doesn’t need more than what he has.

Adrien needs more than what he has, though.  Adrien needs friends like Nino needs music.

Two-shot. I have so many feelings about this one. It starts off solid and then only gets better from there! There’s just so much love and friendship and care and LOVE in this fic!! It’s beautiful.

team is a four letter word by @ladyofthenoodle

Alya didn’t want to come between Ladybug and Chat Noir. But she didn’t want to stop being Rena Rouge either. And if Chat Noir didn’t want to talk to her, then she’d need to find a different way to prove all three of them could be a team.

Her plan unintentionally brings a few secrets to light, which leads to even more secrets coming to light, which leads to… well, Alya is sure it’ll all work out eventually.

Multi-chapter. I can’t not rec this one. This fic focuses on the entire core four, and the adrino relationship is no exception to that. I love all of the little bits of information and the exploration of their dynamic here. The way Adrien knows Nino so well but keeps parts of himself from his friend. The growth and development as the fic progresses. Highly recommend.

Shellter Chat by @bridgetinerabbit​

A peek inside Adrien's school bag gives Nino some very unexpected insight as to what makes his good friend tick, but leaves him in a very delicate position. He never expected to strike a deal with the Kwami of Destruction, but now he and Plagg are working together to relieve some of Adrien's (and Chat Noir's) burdens for his own good. But being Adrien's guardian angel isn't as easy as it seems; other secret identities start falling apart, and there's no telling where the falling dominoes will stop.

Multi-chapter.  I loved this so freaking much. I don’t even know where to start. Nino and Alya are such good friends to Adrien! Seriously, this is such beautiful friendship fic. I need to reread it.

A Miraculous Reveal: Rocketear & Meddlesome Friends by @kasienda​

Nino has been watching the Rocketear footage on loop, and one thing doesn't make sense to him. Why hadn't Chat Noir fought back? (Platonic Adrino, hurt/comfort).

Two-shot within a collection of one-shots (description taken from first part). If, like me, you absolutely loved the angst of Rocketear and were so disappointed that canon didn’t follow up on it at all to give us a resolution, you need this in your life. Go read it now!

Alya is NOT Disloyal! by @peppermint-shamrock​

Alya loves to flirt with her boyfriend when he's suited up as Carapace. Chat Noir, for some reason, is upset by this.

One-shot. This is a DJWifi fic that I’m including because Adrien is just such a good friend to Nino, like he cares so much and I love that.

I will take it / It can't go wrong. by @officialratprince​

Be loved by his friends, or love himself, or earn his father's love. Adrien's at a point where he's pretty sure he can only have one of those three things, but he's doing his best to juggle all three of them.

They aren't always compatible. He's doing his best, though.

Series. Summary taken from the first fic. This gets heavy, but the adrino friendship really shines here as Nino supports Adrien in the aftermath of Gabriel’s abuse.

when the dust clears, there is only us by blight_light

Alya figured out that Marinette was Ladybug after she knocked out a bank robber and defused a hostage situation using nothing but a ping pong ball and a bandana. Nino figured out that Adrien was Chat Noir when he rolled under a table and Chat Noir rolled out. A glass table.

A collection where Alya and Nino are helping their superhero BFFs

One-shot. This fic is an amazing mix of hilarious and heartfelt and it just fills my heart with so much joy!!

the naming of cats by @guardiankarenterrier​

"Dude, you know once we beat Hawkmoth you can go by whatever you want, right?" Nino finally offers, not entirely sure if it's the right thing to say.  He can't keep saying nothing, though, because he's not gonna let his friend think he's being ignored.  He never wants him to think that.  "Like, you're a hero of Paris, man. You wanna go ahead and change, just, like, your whole name to Chat Noir, pretty sure they'll let you.  Pretty sure they can't stop you, honestly."

Plagg's quiet little rumble takes on a note of approval.

One-shot. This is so beautiful and heartbreaking and Nino’s such a good friend and excuse me please I need to go have a little cry. I love them so much.

#ml #miraculous ladybug #adrino #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #platonic adrino #ml fic recs #ml fanfic #friendship #jennarecsml

[im-up-to-shenanigans]

Glass Threads or Frost Work

A few weeks after Rocketear picks a fight with Chat Noir, Nino notices something is wrong with the cat hero.

Meanwhile, Adrien has been pulling away at school.

aka the post-Rocketear fic I wanted to see in canon.

Actual footage of me writing and uploading this:

#my fanfic #miraculous ladybug #ml #miraculous fanfic #adrien agreste #chat noir #nino lahiffe #platonic adrino

[chatonfils]

No Worries 2023 Edition

By chatonfils

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe

Tags: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Nino Lahiffe, Coming Out, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Friendship, Rewrite

Summary:

Adrien has a secret, and he’s finally ready to tell his best friend. But how will Nino take it?

Rewrite of No Worries from 2017

#my writing #ao3 #miraculous Ladybug #fanfic #ml fanfic #my fanfic #chatonfils #chatonfils writing #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #Chat Noir #platonic adrino #adrino #friendship #Adrien & Nino

[miraculous-pyxie]

Idea where Adrien and Marinette knew each other from years of the Dupain-Cheng’s catering for the Agreste’s so they become The Best Of Friends Ever ™️ and have Ladynoir dynamics since they were kids.

What is included in this idea package:

Years of play dates that are always super fun for the both of them and when their parents at at events they get to go off and play together

their influence on each other starts in their early development so Marinette brings an independent nature out of Adrien and Adrien brings out more collaboration in Marinette

They get to have Big Talks™️ when facing harder questions in life

Marinette was there when Adrien’s mom left so they grew even closer

When they get their miraculous they tell each other immediately and become impossibly closer

they felt bad about breaking the rules at first but they realized that it works so much better this way because they were already so close that they didn’t need to build teamwork with someone new

It’s Marinette that actually convinced Gabriel to let Adrien into public school

Adrien met Chloe before but didn’t like her as much bc of Marinette’s influence (he also got to hear first hand how she was bullying her)

They play a massive prank on their whole class when Adrien comes in the first day because of all people that know each other it’s them. people are shocked, Chloe is mad, Nino is like “bro i thought i was your childhood bestie” so Marinette is like “you are but trust me there is no need to be jealous, just spend like 5 minutes with him you’ll fall in love with him” and she was right

we get lots of post-reveal pre-relationship silly dynamics 

Alya and Nino eventually clock on the two of them like each other, but it looks like they’re both oblivious to it / don’t want to admit it

eventually, Alya and Nino confront Marinette and Adrien separately about confessing their feelings, but they both give back an eerily similar answer of “it’s too complicated to be together” that makes them think there is more to their relationship then they originally thought (Alya thinks they are LB and CN and Nino thinks they are already dating) (they are both kinda right).

Alya and Nino slowly put the pieces together, they’re making jokes assuming they are both dating and superheroes that they kind of just forgot that these are head cannons of their friends so when they eventually find out they’re like “yeah lmao”

all very fluffy and silly and only a ting of angst

Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, and Carapace shenanigans eventually 

#the four of them also have big OT4 energy #they have lots of sleepovers #Nino and Alya eventually become damage control for them and accidentally tells their class that they were missing because they kissing #all the silliness #the four of them ar the best of friends and kinda ot4 #ofc they get their miraculouses first #miraculous ladybug #mlb #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #adrienette #djwifi #adrien x marinette x alya x nino #alyanette #adrino #ninette #ml ot4 #could be seen as platonic or romantic #but the main gist is silly #mlb fandom #mlb headcanon

[xxxcertifiednerdxxx]

I can’t believe I’ve never seen anyone talk about a Miraculous Ladybug Lego ninjago au before. I feel like we are missing a golden opportunity

#brought to you by I watched a crack video about the Lego ninjago movie and I’m obsessed #And I apply everything I get into to ml bc that was my first fandom #and Adrien and Hawk moth could have that Lloyd and garmadon relationship #That is comedy gold and my favorite way to do hero son with villain dad #instead of Jay having a crush on nya it’s Marinette and her crush on Adrien lol #I guess there wouldn’t be a love square bc the ninjas know each other’s identities in the movie #So I think Adrien just wouldn’t notice Marinette’s feelings right away bc he’s too busy dealing with daddy issues #Nathalie is general olivia #Emilie is still alive and she and gabe are divorced lol #So we can get the my gosh woman what happened to us moment #Nino is definitely cole #but the Kai and cole friendship gives platonic adrino vibes #alya would either be nya or kai #I’m leaning towards nya #Marinette is Jay lol bc she is a walking simp #OH WAIT ZANE #ADRIEN IS ALSO GIVING ZANE BOYS BC OF THE IS HE A REAL BOY DILEMMA LOL #but we could always do kagami since she’s a sentimonster too right? #and I do love me some kagami #ml #ml au #lego ninjago #lego ninjago movie #au #ml lego ninjago movie au #ml lego ninjago au #miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #miraculous: tales of ladybug and chat noir #miraculous: tales of ladybug and cat noir

[theladyfae]

,,,, badhaai do ml fic

#platonic alyadrien and romantic adrino and alyagami mmmm #im just going to think about it for now i promise i wont start any outlines just yet 😭 #faera's

[ninadove]

Adrien Agreste and/or Nino Lahiffe for Number Eight of your Ask Game (I am a bit shy, sorry for asking anonymously.)

No need to apologise, Anon! We stand united in shyness! ✨

You get both:

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

For Adrien, it’s easy: the way his abuse gets written off so easily (by a very minor portion of the fandom, thankfully, but they can be very vocal about it) and how the resulting behaviours (self-sacrificial and destructive tendencies, clinginess, etc.) get either demonised or ignored entirely. For all my talk about Felix, Adrien is an equally great representation of the challenges survivors have to go through, just in a different font, and ignoring this aspect of his character means missing the entire point in my humble (but ever so correct) opinion.

Harder to say for Nino! I love this little dude but I have Sentikids tunnel vision, so I am much less exposed to “bad takes” surrounding him. I did see a few people say unkind things about Adrino, though, which I don’t get. It’s so easy to move on with your day instead of tearing down other’s ideas and fanworks, you know? I personally enjoy them a lot, both platonically and romantically.

Thank you for the ask, Anon! 💚🐈‍⬛💚🐢

Ask game here!

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #ask games

[bbutterflies]

WIP Reblog game

Thank you for the tag @kasienda!

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends!

My current top five WIP priorities:

If I hold you too close

Everything I've wanted

No distance too far - unpublished Adrino teenage slowburn fic

Domestic established Adrino fic based on my kwami swap au that I need to pick a name for

Romantic Ladynoir/platonic Adrinette fic where Marinette gets an internship at Gabriel and also never met Adrien

What I'm excited about:

I've already written a lot of the scenes I'm excited for but I think chapter 11-12 are ones I'm excited to flesh out a bit more! I have some rough ideas down but it's going to be a lot of catharsis and growth for Adrien that I'm excited to explore for his character in this fic.

I have a scene planned where Adrien visits the bar Nino works at to see him DJ!

Honestly I'm most excited to finally finish my outline for this one! It's been in my head for ages and I can't quite decide where I want to go with it, but once I can sort that out I can't wait to start writing it for real!

I'm excited to write most of this (I love domestic Adrino so much) but I think some cooking together scenes will be the most fun.

I started this one I think over a year ago and haven't touched it a lot since. I think just writing more Marinette POV will be so fun! This one admittedly is way on the backburner though haha.

Poll time :) since most of these aren't published, I might post a snippet of the winner!

I have no idea who's been tagged but anyone who's interested feel free to play!

#tag game #my writing

[rosie-b]

Since you’re other one was already done, may i inquire about the Adrino one?!!!!!!!! I can’t believe I missed that on the list!

Sure!! So, my Adrino wip is mostly me playing with the idea of Nino finding out Chat Noir's secret identity, but without Adrien knowing that he knows. It would be set sometime after Rocketear (and I've been toying with setting it after Collusion, but I'm not as sure about that yet). There's not much written for it because I've been trying to focus on finishing my wips that are partially published, but I am excited to work more on it later!

Oh, and the (&) part of the title is just a signal to me that it's a platonic Adrino idea, not a romantic one. In case I start one of those and get confused 😅

Rose tilted her head as she considered his outfit. “Wait, you’re a Chat Noir fan?” she asked. “I thought you didn’t trust him as much as the other heroes. That’s why you got akumatized, right?”

Heart racing, Nino swallowed hard and offered the girls a weak smile.  “We’ve, uh, grown closer since then,” he said, his voice trembling ever so slightly. “I know a lot more about him now. And I don’t think I’ll ever make the same mistake again, to misjudge him like that. He’s a really cool dude,” Nino said, gaze flickering to Adrien for a moment. “And I hope he knows that.”

Thanks for the ask @kasienda!

#wip game #kasienda

[coffeebanana]

CoffeeBanana Master Post

Hello! This is mostly a Miraculous Ladybug blog, with a dash or ten of whatever else piques my interest.

Here is my Ao3.

Commonly used tags:

#kayla rambles - for posts where i just say random things, usually not fandom-related

#coffeebanana fics - for posts i make to promo my own fics

#coffeebanana writes - for tumblr snippets/fics i've cross-posted to tumblr from ao3 (aka things you can read on tumblr)

#coffeebanana art - there's only one thing here so far but i'm being optimistic LOL

#ml [episode name] AND #[episode name] spoilers - for posts relating to new/upcoming ml episodes. new episodes will be tagged as such for at least two weeks after they air, sometimes longer depending on circumstances

#ml s6 - for season 6 promo and speculation, as this becomes more prevalent

Thank you for visiting/following/engaging with me on this hellsite!

💜Buy Coffee a ko-fi 💜

xoxo Kayla/CoffeeBanana

[PS: A small number of my fics--typically short ones/ficlets--are only posted on tumblr, and I've listed these below the cut.]

Tumblr Ficlets!! Most of these don't have titles, so I'm listing them via vague descriptions.

- Marigami kiss - Ladrien run into each other (post S4 h/c) - Indirect Kisses on Not So Lonely Rooftops (ladynoir) - Feluka (Luka finds Felix sitting alone at a party) - Adrino hurt/comfort - Chlogami (saying i love you without saying it) - Depressed Adrien (post-reveal h/c) - Ladynoir Enemies AU ft. sentiAdrien - Kwamis Social Media AU - Core Four fluff - pre-OT4 Adrino kiss (angsty) - Adrien broken ribs core four h/c - Adrino magical ghost shrooms that also teleport you - Ladynoir "platonically" cuddling kiss - Loveynoir truth or dare akuma kiss prompt (Loveybug AU) - Another Ladynoir Kiss Prompt - Ladrien ft. plant growth videosff

#☕🍌 #long post

[kasienda]

white-listed 📃

This is a one shot where Nino helps Adrien process Season Five's events. Doesn't include any new reveals (at least not yet! Haha!) So Adrien doesn't learn anything new here. Just gets comforted by a friend.

Adrien is on Nino's "White-list". By the end of the fic, Adrien realizes he now has the ability to chose who is on his own white list. That's my concept anyway.

...

Nino’s in Adrien's room for like the third time ever. Only took Gabriel dying. Nino winces at the thought. How many times had he wished Gabriel gone and out of the picture?

Adrien’s silent and that's not unusual in and of itself, except under these circumstances it has Nino concerned. 

“What are you doing here?” Adrien asks.

Nino held up his phone. “Have you seen these texts from my best bro? Seems like my dude is in some major need of being cheered up.” 

“You didn’t have to come,” Adrien says. “I figured you’d be at one of the celebrations.”

Nino snorts and throws himself onto the couch. “Dude, you’re like at the top of my white-list. Of course I dropped everything and came.” 

“Your what?”

“My white-list? It’s like the opposite of a black-list. I always take your calls, come when needed, and just try to make life better for you! No masks, no filters, I can just be me around you.” 

“Oh.”

Nino watches, looking for signs of what Adrien thought of this. 

“Are there a lot of people on this list?” 

“Nah. Just my mom, Alya, and you. Maybe Noel someday.”

“That’s it?” Adrien was staring at him like he was insane.

“That’s it.” 

#miraculous ladybug #platonic adrino #Nino helps Adrien process season five #white listed #too many wips #wip ask game #my own content

[im-up-to-shenanigans]

The Solidest Things We Can Know (Chp. 1/2)

Nino feels helpless as Adrien continues to pull away at school. Getting enlisted to fight an akuma isn't exactly helping him figure out a way to help his best friend. At least he doesn't have to worry about Adrien actively being in danger.

Except. Oh. Oh no.

aka the second part of the post-Rocketear fanfic I wanted to see in canon.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #miraculous fanfic #adrien agreste #chat noir #nino lahiffe #platonic adrino #my fanfic

[sketchy-panda]

@coccinelle-et-chaton and i were discussing adrien and nino babysitting the kwamis

needless to say it doesn’t go as smoothly as planned

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #adrien agreste #love square #my comic #nino lahiffe #marinette dupain cheng #kwamis #platonic adrino

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Five

Read it on AO3: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Five

“Adrien, you really don’t have to cook for me like this,” Luka insisted through gritted teeth yet again as he carried another garbage bag full of rubbish out of his room that night after rehearsal.

“I am literally just making minestrone,” Adrien scoffed. “All I’m doing is opening cans and containers and boxes and dumping their contents into a pot together to simmer until the results are edible.”

“Yeah, but still…” Luka grumbled. “I didn’t bring you here to wait on me like this. I can clean my own toilet and do my own laundry and make my own meals. I never meant for you to—”

“—Hush,” Adrien cut him off, waving away Luka’s protests. “I’m not waiting on you. I’m mothering.”

Luka paused mid-step. “…‘Mothering’?” he repeated.

“Yep,” Adrien affirmed. “Your situation inspires empathy and compassion within me, so I’m adopting you.”

Luka choked on a laugh. “You’re what now?”

“Adopting you,” Adrien repeated with a straight face as he stirred the inchoate soup. “People have been saying it to me since I was thirteen, and, now that I’m an adult, it’s my turn to adopt people.”

Luka set down the trash bag and crossed his arms over his chest, humming thoughtfully as he studied Adrien. “…I don’t know how I feel about this.”

“Because you had it in your head that you were adopting me when you brought me home with you?” Adrien challenged with a foot on either side of the line between joking and being serious.

“…Maybe,” Luka hedged.

Adrien gave his head a toss. “Well, I just want you to know that I can pull my own weight around here. I appreciate your help, but I’m not a charity case. I can cook and clean and take care of you too. I’m not defenseless and in need of protection,” he informed tersely, trying to play it off lightly, as though he were kidding and only pretending to be sensitive about it.

Luka saw past the act to the truth, though.

He’d been bruising Adrien’s pride by trying to deny him opportunities that Adrien saw as a way to earn his keep and maintain his dignity.

“I’ve changed, you know. Living by my wits these past few years has toughened me up,” Adrien pretended to joke.

Luka came over to the stove and rested a hand on Adrien’s upper arm. “You’re right. You have grown up since I last saw you. You’re a very capable adult, and I’m seriously impressed, Adrien.”

The hard lines of Adrien’s face began to soften as his hackles lowered at Luka’s validating words. “Oh…yeah?”

Luka nodded. “Yeah. You’re right. You’re perfectly capable of doing the work, and I do appreciate the help. You’ve seriously been a godsend, Adrien. I just don’t want you to feel obligated to do all this.”

Adrien shook his head, hurriedly insisting, “I don’t. I want to help. I want to be useful and do my fair share. I don’t want to sit around and have everyone do everything for me anymore. I’m a competent human being, and I don’t need to be babied.”

“You’re right,” Luka affirmed, giving Adrien’s arm a squeeze before letting go. “I think we’re on the same page now. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I didn’t think you could manage things. I’m just not used to having someone take care of me. I think I’ve mentioned before about how when I was ten, the guy Maman had been with my whole life left, and she kind of went to pieces. I had to take care of her and Juleka, and, since then, I’ve never really let myself be taken care of.”

“That’s valid,” Adrien assured, processing Luka’s exasperation and pushback in a new light. “I guess we’re both just going to have to be patient while we get used to this new give-and-take dynamic, huh?”

“Yeah,” Luka agreed. “But, hey. If I ever do something that makes you feel like I’m looking down on you or treating you like a kid, call me out on it because that is never my intention. I have nothing but respect for you. I’m just used to having to take care of everyone else, so…”

Slowly, Adrien started to nod. “You respect me?”

Luka scoffed. “Adrien, I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for you.”

An impish smile slunk onto Adrien’s lips. “Even that day we first met and I gracefully face-planted onto the Liberty’s deck?”

Luka cracked a grin. “Okay. I was actually thinking, ‘Is my disaster bi showing?’ and ‘What are the odds of meeting two adorable klutzes on the same day?’, but as soon as you started to nerd-out over the keyboard, I had nothing but respect for you.”

Adrien broke into giggles. “Oh, I’m sure.” He looked down into the minestrone pot with a light blush and a shy smile. “Thank you.”

“Mmhm.” Luka patted Adrien’s arm and turned to head back to his room for another load of trash.

He only made it a few steps before he stopped and turned back around. “You know, you really haven’t changed at all.”

Adrien’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“You’ve grown and matured, sure,” Luka hastened to explain. “You’re a little different than I remember, but you haven’t truly changed. I know you were talking last night about feeling like a version of yourself that you hadn’t been in a while, but…I don’t think you ever stopped being you. The important things about you that made you you are all still there. I don’t think you’ve truly lost any part of yourself, Adrien.”

Adrien’s mouth rounded into an “o” of realization.

“I think it’s just a matter of you had to shove things down and not react how you instinctively wanted to react because you had to focus on staying alive,” Luka suggested, remembering the times in his own life when he had been in survival mode. “Maybe now that things have calmed down and are more stable, you’ll find that the parts of yourself that you think you’ve lost will come back of their own accord because it’s finally safe for them to.”

Adrien’s eyes misted over with hopeful tears, and a tentative smile bloomed on his lips. “That would be really nice.”

Luka opened his mouth to say something else, but, just then, there was an irate banging on the apartment door accompanied by a tirade of abuse.

“Luka, you piece of crap, open this door right now! You’ve been ignoring my texts all day! You can’t hide from me forever! I swear I will camp out here and annoy your neighbors until they call the police!”

Adrien looked to Luka in a panic, but Luka just groaned and shook his head.

“That’s Nino. He’s been blowing up my phone trying to find out how I know you’re alive and well pretty much since I texted him last night. What do you want me to do?” Luka looked to Adrien, letting him make the call.

Adrien took a deep breath. “…Let him in.”

Luka arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

Adrien nodded. “I’m feeling more optimistic and grounded today. I think going through a successful reunion with you helped.”

“Good. I’m glad,” Luka sighed as he made his way to the door where Nino was still banging and hollering.

He yanked the door open and gave Nino a put out, disappointed look. “What are we? Ten? This isn’t necessary.”

“It sure as hell seems necessary to me,” Nino growled, “because someone isn’t answering his phone.”

Luka stepped back and motioned Nino inside.

“So?” Nino demanded as he stormed into the apartment. “How did you—?”

The question died on his lips when he caught sight of Adrien in the kitchen.

Adrien summoned up the ghost of a smile and gave Nino a nervous little wave. “Hi, Nino.”

“Holy…” Nino swallowed an initial curse but then spit out a whole string of them as he rushed across the apartment to Adrien’s side, pulling him into a bone-breaking hug.

Luka watched as Nino and Adrien embraced, both of them trembling and sniffling, no words needed.

Luka tried to squish down his own jealousy at the thought that Luka and Adrien’s reunion hadn’t been like that. He reminded himself of what Adrien had said about having already reunited with Luka making it feel easier to see Nino again.

Still, it was a painful reminder that, as close as Luka and Adrien had been, Nino was Adrien’s best friend.

Nino was the first to pull back and speak. “Mec, don’t you dare disappear on me ever again. You hear me? You gave me grey hair. Look. Look at this.”

Nino jabbed pointedly at his head where a handful of grey strands were barely noticeable.

“Nino, I’m so sorry,” Adrien started in, but Nino cut him off.

“—No apologies,” he tutted. “I’m not mad at you. Your universe blew up. I get it. Just never do that again, and we’ll forget it ever happened, okay?”

He tipped his head to the side and waited for Adrien to respond.

Adrien nodded, his tentative smile growing and gaining confidence. “I’d like that.”

“Just one question,” Nino announced, resting a hand on Adrien’s upper arm while the other cupped his cheek. “…Are you okay?”

Adrien’s smile wavered. “…Not yet…but I’m working on it. The past four years were…” He bit his lip, searching for the right word before deciding on “…bad. I mean, there was some good stuff mixed in, but sometimes it was really, really bad, Nino, and I don’t want to talk about it right now. None of the truly awful things that could have happened to me happened, but it was still really bad, and I kind of want to forget about it and get my life moving in a better direction.”

Nino nodded, taking in what Adrien was saying. He inhaled deeply and slowly let it out. “Okay. All right. Never happened. I think I can live with that. I’m just glad that you’re home, Adrien.”

“Me too,” Adrien agreed, stepping in to give Nino another hug. “I’m really glad to see you.”

“Yeah. You too,” Nino sighed, giving Adrien’s hair a nuzzle.

They stayed like that for a long moment before gradually pulling apart.

“…So…what have you got going on here?” Nino inquired.

“I’m making dinner,” Adrien replied before remembering Luka’s existence and turning to look to him. “May I invite Nino to dinner?”

“Of course you can,” Luka assured. “This is your home too, Adrien. You don’t have to ask me for permission if you want to have friends over. I’d appreciate it if you’d give me a heads up just so that I can be expecting people, but you don’t have to get my approval.”

“How about if I want to move in with you guys?” Nino pressed. “Because I don’t think I can stand to let this guy out of my sight for the foreseeable future.”

Adrien’s eyes grew large with excitement. “May Nino and I have a sleepover?”

Luka’s kneejerk reaction was to tell Adrien no, he could not have people spending the night because Adrien was a snuggler, and Nino was going to end up snuggling with Adrien in Adrien’s bed all night, and Luka was going to be jealous.

But that was a stupid, self-serving reason to deny Adrien time with his estranged best friend, and Luka had no right to object anyway.

“Adrien, this is your apartment as much as it is mine. You can have friends spend the night,” Luka reiterated. “…I’m going to get back to cleaning, but you guys have fun catching up. Let me know when the minestrone is done, please.”

“Sure thing,” Adrien replied with a shining grin. “Thanks, Luka.”

“Sweet!” Nino crowed, pulling out his phone. “I’m gonna let Alya know I won’t be home tonight.”

Adrien gasped. “Did you get married?!”

Nino winced. “Not yet. Not for lack of trying. I am this close to wearing her down. She has commitment issues and doesn’t want to get tied down. She’s all about her career, and, I mean, I respect that immensely, but it was a struggle to even get her to move in with me. I’m worried we’re going to be thirty and still not married and without kids.”

Adrien grimaced on his friend’s behalf as he turned back to the stove to check on the soup and give it a stir. “At least you know you’ve found the person you want to spend your life with, though.”

“True,” Nino allowed.

After that, Luka couldn’t quite make out what they were saying from back in his bedroom.

He thought he caught Adrien remarking, “This just needs to simmer until the veggies are soft”, and then Nino and Adrien moved to the couch to snuggle while they chatted.

“So…what’s up with you and Luka?” Nino eventually asked, and Luka began to fold his laundry more quietly so as to better eavesdrop.

“I mean, I know you two were close, but…I thought we were closer? Why did you come to him?” There was a hint of hurt in Nino’s voice.

Adrien was quick to reassure him, though. “Nino, you’re my best friend. You were the first person I was planning on reconnecting with. I didn’t go to Luka. Fate just put us in each other’s path, and things worked out. He has an extra bedroom and enough discretionary income to take care of me without being a bother to him until I get back up on my feet. There’s nothing to be jealous of, Nino. I would never throw you over, not even for a hot guy.”

Luka nearly choked and immediately felt bad for violating Adrien’s privacy.

…Still. It was good to have some idea of where he stood with Adrien.

He immediately slapped himself because Adrien was vulnerable at the moment, and Luka himself was not emotionally healthy enough to be entertaining the idea of a relationship, especially not with someone like Adrien whom Luka would have to be one hundred percent serious about before daring to approach and risk ruining their friendship.

“Good,” Nino snorted back in the main room. “Make sure things between you and Luka stay completely romantic. Tell him to get the hell out of my friendzone. I have a total monopoly on all things platonic with you.”

Adrien burst out laughing, shaking his head and giving Nino a playful shove. “I’m glad you still value my friendship so highly even after I ghosted you for four years.”

Nino clicked his tongue. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just saw you last week.”

Adrien rested his head on Nino’s shoulder. “Thanks, Nino.”

Nino wedged his arm between Adrien and the couch, circling his arm around Adrien’s shoulders. “Don’t mention it. We’re cool, Mec.”

“…I’m not in any kind of shape to pursue a romantic relationship right now,” Adrien confessed sadly, a note of longing in his voice, “and Luka is actually going through a breakup at the moment. If you could refrain from making any kind of jokes or insinuations, I’d really appreciate it. I kind of just need stability right now. A roof over my head, regular meals, steady job, friends…”

“Say no more,” Nino assured, placing a kiss on the top of Adrien’s head. “I’ve got you…but let me know when it’s okay to tease you about this because teenage Adrien would have died if you’d told him he’d one day be Luka’s little househusband.”

Adrien elbowed Nino in the stomach. “Don’t make me kick you out. Apparently, this is my apartment. I’m also not required to share any of my minestrone with you, and it’s going to be really good, so you’ll be missing out.”

“Since when do you cook, Mec?” Nino hummed curiously.

 Both Luka and Nino took second helpings of the minestrone and positively raved about it.

“I told you I was a good cook,” Adrien snickered around his glass of water. “I should have made a cake or something for dessert.” He turned to Nino. “I can make delicious cakes in a rice cooker.” He looked next to Luka. “Should I get started on some dessert?”

“You can if you want.” Luka shrugged. “I actually need to run out for a bit. I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour, if you think you’ll be okay by yourself?”

“Hello? I’m here too?” Nino snorted.

“Yeah, and you’re a handful. I know Adrien’s very competent, but I’m concerned about leaving him to babysit all by himself,” Luka sniped.

“Looow blow,” Nino booed.

“We’ll be fine,” Adrien assured. “I’ll show Nino how to make rice cooker cake, and then we’ll probably snuggle and talk or watch Netflix or something.”

Luka winced. “On your phone? We need to get you a laptop.”

Adrien’s brow scrunched up, and his lips pursed. “I really don’t want you spending money on me on expensive nonessentials.”

Nino bumped Adrien’s arm with his own. “He’s a rich kid now. Let him buy you stuff.”

“We’ll get you a laptop tomorrow,” Luka decided and then pointed at Nino. “Be good while I’m gone.”

Nino rolled his eyes. “I’m always good.”

Luka turned to Adrien with an affectionate smile, reaching out to tussle his hair.

“Text me if you’re going to be longer than expected, okay?” Adrien request, returning Luka’s smile.

“Will do,” Luka assured, putting on a brave face as he headed out.

As he drove over to Tom and Sabine’s to confront Marinette and ask for Plagg back, he reminded himself again and again that he was doing this for Adrien.

He summoned up the memory of Adrien’s smile, and what he was about to do felt a little bit easier.

#Lukadrien #Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Adrien Agreste #Luka Couffaine #Nino Lahiffe #Fluff #Honest Conversation #Cooking #Reunion #Adrino #Platonic Adrino #Friendship #Slow Burn #Healing #Mikau's Writings #Zebras Can't Change Their Stripes

[omgyouatetheprincess]

Adrien: Come on Nino, I wasn't that drunk.

Nino: You tried to colour Marinette’s face with a highlighter because you said she was important.

Adrien: *Tearing up* But she is.

#adrino #adrinette #platonic adrino #nino lahiffe #adrien agreste #miraculous #ladybug #miraculous ladybug #chat noir #cat noir #marinette dupain cheng