Pick Up Lines And Chasing Boys

Chapter 2

I dedicate this chapter to the first reader here who actually gave me some motivation!

Yawning, Adrien climbed out of the car, trying to blink away what drowsiness remained as he headed toward the school. Nino was bobbing his head at the base of the stairs, headphones over his ears, and it wasn't until Adrien tapped him on the shoulder that he even realized he was there.

"Oh, mornin' dude," he greeted, dropping his headphones down around his neck. "You look... tired..."

"Thanks..." Adrien drawled flatly, trying to fight off another yawn and failing miserably.

"You know, you come to school exhausted more often than you don't," Nino pointed out, sounding like a displeased mother-hen on the subject. "You seriously need to just tell your dad off about these late-night photoshoots. Doesn't he care at all about your education?"

"Maybe he thinks I'll quit public school so I can sleep in," Adrien suggested, the joke coming off more bitter than humorous. Truth be told, he only had a late-night photoshoot once every few weeks. The night before had been such a one, but most of his tired mornings were due to patrols as Chat Noir or akumas. The photoshoot thing was a nice cover, however.

"Well, try and get some sleep tonight, at least," Nino grumbled. "I get tired of listening to you yawn right beside me. Makes me tired."

Adrien chuckled. "While I have the utmost sympathy for you, I can't do as you ask. I've got another photoshoot tonight." A lie. But he did have a patrol. And as both he and Ladybug had to wait until their households were asleep to commence their hunts for Hawkmoth, it usually meant he wasn't getting to bed until at least midnight.

"Seriously?!" Nino curled his lip. "Why do so many people want pictures of you anyway?"

"I can't help that I'm fabulous."

"Yeah, right." Nino rolled his eyes. "I'd get tired of taking pictures of you, personally. I can barely stand to see your ugly mug most days anyway."

"Those insults don't work," Adrien sing-songed, grinning as he did. "I know I'm gorgeous. Don't blame me for my natural-born beauty. There's just something about me that... draws the camera's eye. I can't help it."

Nino scoffed. "God, gag me."

"I attract the perfect lighting, and my high cheeks bones are absolutely striking." Yes, he was going on only in the hopes of irritating his friend further. "And, like any modest model, I'm only relaying what I've been told. But I don't have to be a photographer to know it's true."

"Maybe not, but I sure could picture you and I together."

The cheesy line came out of nowhere, almost feeling like it'd smacked Adrien across the cheek. Whipping around in search of the source, he was wide-eyed in alarm to find that, passing by and headed up the steps, was Marinette and Alya. He never would have ever fathomed that such words—strung together as they had been—would come from Marinette's mouth. But the girls were giggling as they scurried away, leaving Adrien in tight-lipped shock as Nino gaped beside him.

"Damn!" Nino eventually exclaimed, laughing as he did. "That was smooth as fuck!"

"No it wasn't!" Adrien rebuked hotly, whipping back around. "It was completely out of context!"

"Yeah, that's why your face is all red."

Reaching up, Adrien slapped his hands over his cheeks, not pleased at their heat. "Why would she say something like that...?"

"Seriously?" Nino cocked a skeptical brow. "You're really asking that question? She did the same thing to you yesterday."

"That was an accident," Adrien defended. "This is Marinette. She's not exactly a pick-up line thesaurus." He would know as he prided himself on his own varied repertoire. "She barely talks to me. And when she does, she's always nervous."