#i've done a fantastic job of not stumbling over any so far and i would hate to lose that

[soundofez]

The Color of Thunder

Tags: Adrien & Chloé*, Chloé/Nino, fake dating au, secret dating au, with adrinette romance and marino friendship in the far distant backdrop

Summary: It was supposed to be a double date, Adrien with Chloé and Nino with Marinette. Nino and Chloé showed up on time. Adrien and Marinette did not.

(characters connected with & are strictly platonic)

hahAHAHFFFFF I FORGOT TO POST THIS

this is……. from several months back, and was in fact my contribution to @project-ml​’s project: sky zine— which is free, btw, and has even more fantastic art and fic by others of the pml crew

much love to @sarahcada​ and @altoblt5 for beta’ing this fic ♥ you can find this thing on ao3 orrrrrr you can keep reading :3c

“I worry for your future partner.”

“Hm? Why? Well, I suppose you should be worried that they won’t be able to keep up with how fabulous I am. What do you think of this color?”

“It’s a little darker than your usual eyeshadow. And, Chloé, I’m worried that you’ll be… too mean for them.”

“Aww, Adrikins, you’re cute.”

“I’m very aware, thanks. Not everyone is willing to put up with this much shopping— Here, just toss it in the basket if you want it.”

“You’re here, and we’re only faking it. You said it’s too dark?”

“I said it’s darker than your usual, but you could make it work. Also, I’m your friend, I know what I signed up for.”

“I guess. You really think it could work?”

“You’re the one who isn’t putting it back.”

“Yes, but… it reminds me of your… friend.”

“… Nino?”

“Yeah, him.”

“You like Nino?”

“Of course I don’t.”

“Chloé.”

“Well if he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me. But he’s with that pest, so this is all… ugh.”

“Marinette is not a pest, nor is she actually with— What about this color, exactly, reminds you of Nino?”

“Marinette is absolutely a pest— and look, it’s the color of thunder, just like his eyes.”

“Wow, you like him a lot. You do know that thunder is a sound, and that lightning is blue…?”

“I didn’t say they were the color of lightning, did I? I swear your tutors have put mush in your brains.”

“It’s science, Chloé.”

“Mush, darling, mush. We still need to pick up nail polish for our next date.”

“Wha— You’re not out of red already, are you?”

“Ladybug nails are in fashion, okay?”

Nino hopes viciously that Marinette and Adrien have fallen into a black hole. Yes! Fine! They like each other! That’s still no reason to abandon him with Chloé!

As if on cue, Chloé snarls and throws her phone on the table. Nino catches it automatically when it skids toward him.

“Give that back,” she demands.

“You’re the one who threw it,” Nino points out.

“Ugh, how are you even friends with my Adrien?” She doesn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she shoves herself to her feet and claws at Nino for her phone. “Give it!”

Nino backs away. “What are you, five—?”

“Is there a problem here, miss?”

Chloé turns to the waiter and stomps a foot. “Yes! He stole my phone!”

“If you hadn’t thrown it—”

They find themselves standing in the rain outside the restaurant.

Chloé is livid, shouting and screaming threats at the restaurant door. Nino rolls his eyes and walks away, texting Marinette and Adrien as he goes.

The rain makes typing more difficult, and he misses several keys. Annoying.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Home.”

Chloé’s hand catches Nino’s shoulder, reeling him to a stop. He glances at her irritably. “What?” she demands. “What’s the point of a date if you’re just going to ditch it?”

“We’ve been ditched,” Nino points out. “Has Adrien called back yet?”

“Let me think— oh wait, I don’t know, because you still have my phone, you thief. Has the pest called you?”

“No, Marinette has not. Here, take your phone back.”

Chloé snatches the device from Nino’s hand. “He hasn’t replied.”

“I figured. Bye.”

“Wait!”

Nino pinches himself, hoping to escape the nightmare, and gets a stinging cheek for his troubles. He sighs and turns back to Chloé. “What?”

“You’re not just going to leave me here, are you?”

“That was the plan.”

Chloé’s lower lip wobbles.

Nino palms his face. He could just leave, he tells himself, because Chloé is not worth the headache, no matter how pretty she is. He peeks through his fingers at her. Definitely crying. She even sniffles for good measure, and even though he knows it’s fake, he groans and sticks out his hand anyway. “Fine, I’ll walk you back to your place.”

She stares at his hand. When he starts to take it back, though, she seizes it. “In the rain?” she asks skeptically, looking up at him. “It’ll ruin my hair.”

“Well, it’s ruin your precious blowdry or stand around all night, and I am not standing around all night.”

She resists his tugging, but after a moment she hesitantly steps out into the rain. “It’s cold,” she complains. “If I get sick, you’d better cough up the money.”

“Yeah, whatever, let’s just get this over— Was that a pun?”

Chloé looks sly. “You’re not Adrien’s only friend.” She points across the street. Nino squints along the line of her finger as she says, “Compensate me for this awful date.”

She’s pointing at a movie theatre. Nino is skeptical. “The movies?”

“We were supposed to be on a double date,” Chloé says innocently. “No reason to cut it short just because Adrien didn’t make it.”

“If you’re not careful, I might start thinking you like me,” Nino grumbles, but he lets her tug him toward the theater.

“Me? I would never.”

“Yeah, I know, you’ve only got eyes for your sweet precious Adrikins.”

Chloé pouts at him. “We love each other dearly.”

“Uh-huh.”

“We do!”

“Sure, Chloé.”

They agree surprisingly quickly on which movie to watch. By the time they emerge from the theater, the rain has stopped, though neither of them notice.

“They should have kissed,” Chloé sighs.

“What— They did kiss, though?”

“They should have kissed more—”

A couple stumbles around the street corner directly in front of Chloé and Nino, and they nearly bowl each other over.

“Marinette?” Nino asks incredulously, recognizing dark pigtails.

“Chlo!” Marinette’s companion yelps. It’s Adrien.

“Nino!” Marinette replies guiltily. “Sorry, we were just—”

“You two are together?” Chloé screeches. “Adrikins, no, this is too much. Nino, fine, Nino is fine, but Marinette?”

“Excuse you, I am at least as fine as Nino—”

“Did you just call Nino fine?”

“Absolutely not. And you! What were you doing feeling up Adrien in a side street, anyway? Nino isn’t enough for you?”

“I was not feeling him up—”

“You look pretty felt up,” Nino comments to Adrien.

Adrien grimaces back. “I wish.”

“What were you doing, anyway? It better have been good, since. You know.” Nino tilts his head toward Chloé, who is too busy bickering with Marinette to notice.

Adrien shakes his head mournfully. “Got held up by an akuma,” he explains. “Ladybug and Cat Noir only just set everything right.”

Nino glances skeptically down the side street his two friends had emerged from. “And you and Marinette were dumped alone together down a side street?”

Adrien blushes. “You and Chlo just came out of a theatre together,” he counters.

“That was Chloé’s idea. Because it was raining.”

“Maybe we aren’t dating!” Marinette bellows at Chloé, and Nino and Adrien both look at her, startled. “Just like you and—”

She shuts her mouth suddenly, glancing from Chloé to Adrien to Nino. “Nino, let’s go,” she mutters, grabbing his wrist and pulling him away.

“Text,” Nino mouths at Adrien, who nods back and tugs Chloé gently in the opposite direction.

“Did you start without me? I’m hurt.”

“You’re hurt? You ditched me last night.”

“Yes, and I’m sorry, but you know how awful my luck is with akuma attacks. Why do you have two unopened bottles of Ladybug Red? I thought you ran out.”

“I told you, Ladybug nails are in fashion. I need backups. And, by the way, I cannot approve of you and that pest. I refuse.”

“Marinette is not a pest. And you approve of her fashion sense, don’t you?”

“That’s different! Good taste does not a good person make.”

“That might be the wisest thing you’ve ever said.— That’s green, not black.”

“Hm? Oh, you’re right. Ugh, I always mix up Cat’s Eye and Cat Noir. You won’t keep seeing her, will you? She’s dating Nino, I thought he was your friend, I thought friends didn’t steal each other’s dates out from under their noses.”

“They’re dating about as much as we are. Nino’s been chill with us for a while. How is he, by the way?”

“He’s your friend. Wait, so they knew that we were also faking it?”

“Maybe. You should text him! He’s your crush. Have you talked to him at all since last night?”

“Why would I?”

“Chloé. Gimme your phone.”

“No.”

“Chlooooooo.”

“You’ll get nail polish all over it— Hé! Give it back!”

“No can do, sorry— Ow! Did you just bite me?”

“Yes! Ugh, he’s really rubbed off on you— wait, what are you doing?”

“Message sent. Have fun!”

[akumaalert]

I figure this won't appear in the fic until way later, if at all, but I keep thinking about how Lucky would react seeing Karl in his mutated form. Maybe she sees him transform or maybe he runs off and she chases after him only to see the final state, but there are so many ways that could go.

If it happens before they reconcile, it can be something that makes her hate him more, almost proving him as a monster and maybe even thinking he would hurt her in that form.

If it happens after the dangerous water between them calms a bit, then maybe she would understand Miranda's hand in all of this, especially considering how she's already loosely investigating the Lords and their history.

Either way, I imagine seeing any of the Lords' mutated forms would definitely be *traumatizing and terrifying for her, but especially Karl's with how graphic, chaotic, and non-organic his body becomes. I'm constantly rereading your fic because it's genuinely one of the best I've read and the way you describe the continuing lack of control over his mutation and the physical and emotional pain that comes with it is so vivid and haunting in the best way.

*Also I in no way want this to come off as "let's purposefully hurt Lucky," I just continue to think of the canon material and themes in the game and how they can translate into your au because you've already done a fantastic job so far with your world building and characterization.

Oh can confirm that this will happen. Lucky will see that mutated form...of Heisenberg's and Moreau's. Can't swing Alcina's since we got confirmation in-game that it's just been Mother Miranda and Ethan. But the boys? Definitely, definitely.

I knew that I wanted to do this eventually - I do think it would be wrong to write this story and eventually see the two together without Lucky knowing about the mutated form - but it was the when that I stumbled on for a long time until I properly worked out the kinks of one plotline.

You're so sweet, schantz. Thank you - you have no idea what those words mean to me. Truly - thank you <3