Thief | Lukadrien

Part 4 - Honesty

(Adrien's POV)

Six days later, on Friday morning, my brain woke up much earlier than it had too. I had quite a few hours before school started, but I didn't think I could go back to bed, so I got up, put on an outfit, and brushed my teeth before settling on my couch. Plagg was still snoring loudly, so I didn't turn on the TV in case it was too loud. The last time I interrupted his sleep, he didn't forgive me for a week.

I leaned backwards on the sofa and ran my hand through my hair, trying not to think about Luka. I had always found him attractive, but I was never so flustered around him until I joined the band. I liked his personality, and being around him made me happy. My stomach was doing summersaults as I pictured his smile.

"I can't ask him out," I whispered to myself. "Even if he likes guys, he probably won't like me."

I was feeling a little claustrophobic with all of these emotions, so I decided to go and get some fresh air. As quietly as I could, I snuck out of my room, down the stairs, and out the back door. I let the sound of rushing cars calm me down as I strolled down the sidewalk.

"Adrien?" I suddenly heard.

"Hey, Kagami!" I said, turning around. "What're you doing out so early?"

"I could ask you the same question," she said.

"I asked first."

She laughed. "I wanted to escape the house for a bit. It's hard to do that during the day, you know? Mother always expects me to be places."

"I get it. Father's the same way."

"Something on your mind?" she asked me, taking my arm as she joined me walking beside the street.

"No, not really."

"Adrien, you know I don't like it when you lie."

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes, you--"

"Kagami, I'm bisexual!"

My friend stopped abruptly at my sudden outburst. I covered my mouth. Whoops. I didn't mean to blurt that out.

"Uh, okay?" she said. "Why do I need to know this?"

My breathing sped up as I stared at the ground. Now that I had a label for myself, it was hard to keep that part of my identity to myself.

"I'm sorry, I guess I just needed to tell someone."

"You don't look well, are you alright?"

I walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. Kagami sat beside me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You can talk to me about it if you want," she said. "I'm sure that wasn't an easy thing to say."

"I figured it out last night," I admitted. "I denied it for so long because I didn't want it to be true, but then my feelings grew so much for this boy that I just couldn't convince myself otherwise."

"Why didn't you want it to be true?"

"I don't know. I'm just scared, I guess. Father won't like it, and I'm not sure about the rest of my friends."

"If they don't accept you, I'll challenge them to a duel and cut out their tongue so they can never talk again."

I snorted. "I think you're blowing this out of proportion."

"Yes, probably. You're welcome. But anyway, I'm sure everything will work out fine. Don't be ashamed of who you are; celebrate it."

"Thanks, Kagami. Oh, and, um... I know you said the other day that you have feelings for me, but-"

"Don't worry about it," she said with a genuine smile. "I'd rather be friends with you than be in a one-sided romance. Now, tell me, when are you going to confess to your crush?"

"Hmm, let me see... uh... never."

Kagami punched me in the arm. "Coward."

...

I was one of the first people in class this morning. I was feeling really jittery, maybe from the lack of sleep. By the time Nino got there, I was shaking my leg uncontrollably.

"Whoa, dude, you look stressed," my best friend said as he sat down.

"I'm fine," I croaked. Great, now both legs were shaking.

"You don't look so good, are you sure you're okay?"

"Mmhmm. Just anxious."

"About what?"

This was starting to feel like a repeat of my conversation with Kagami. The only difference was that I wasn't going to tell Nino the truth; I was closer to him, and I was so worried that things would change between us if I told him I was bi.

"Nothing," I finally said, but I felt heat rising to my cheeks as Luka drifted into my mind. Now that I was being honest to myself about my feelings for him, I was so nervous that I'd lose control around him and make him hate me forever.

"Hey... I know that expression," Nino said. "You look like Marinette when she's thinking about her crush."

"Crush? No, I don't have a crush."

"Come on dude, who is she?"

We were entering dangerous territory. I sucked my lips in and shook my head.

"How am I supposed to help you land a date if I don't know who the target is?"

"I'm not telling you who he is!"

Nino blinked. "Did you just say he?"

I slammed my head on the table. "Oh, f*ck."

"Ah, man. You better tell Mari you're gay so she can stop stalking you."

"Shh!" I hissed, slapping a hand over Nino's mouth. "Are you trying to out me to the entire class? And by the way, I'm not gay, I'm bi. Please don't tell anyone."

"My lips are sealed," he said. "So, who's the guy?"

"Not telling."

"Is is Nathaniel? You two would be cute together. Or Kim? He's as dumb as a doornail but at least he's hot. Or maybe--"

Luka walked into class, and I became a statue. My head started boiling like a teakettle.

"OhhHHHhhh," Nino muttered, eyeing me with a sly smile. "I see, I see."

I buried my face in the desk again. "Shut up, you dumb bubble-blowing DJ."

...

felt like this is kinda relevant lol