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Trials and Tropes	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 6594 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
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Nino made sure to grab the Single room key from Caline Bustier's outstretched hand. Because they had an uneven number of students in their class, Madame Bustier had told them that one of them would have to room alone, and to sort it out amongst themselves who that would be.
Nino felt bad for ditching Adrien, but Alya would skin him alive if her plan fell apart because of him. On the other hand, Alya would praise him and reward him with kisses now that he had successfully claimed the Single room. He now also had his own room for the entire weekend.
On the way there, Alya had wanted him to talk with the other boys to make sure they were on board and agreeable to rooming with each other, but Nino thought that was unnecessary, as long as he got the single. Kim and Max were bound to share a room, so they were no issue. Ivan and Nathaniel, while not close friends, got along well enough to be able to endure each other's company easily for the few days they were here. Nino felt no remorse at forcing them into the same room.
Nino looked around his tiny room, pleased with himself. Off the entryway on the left was a small bathroom, complete with towels, soaps, and shampoo. To his right was a shelf with an electric kettle, with complementary tea, coffee, and biscuits. Beside these was a wall mounted TV and a storage closet.
By the left wall, abutting the bathroom wall, was a single bed with a bedside table on each side, and a lamp overhanging the head of the bed. The far wall had the windows, covered by the most unfortunate set of blackout curtains he had ever seen.
Scrunching his nose, Nino ducked into the bathroom and swiped all of the soaps and shampoos, storing them in his suitcase, hefted onto the end of his bed and waiting to be unpacked.
Guilt twinged at his conscience, again. Peering into the hallway beyond his door, he saw Adrien staring helplessly after Marinette as she fled to the elevators. He was about to call out when a resolute expression crossed Adrien's face and he grabbed two suitcases, clumsily dragging them into his room.
Nino grinned. Adrien would be fine. Nino slipped back into his room and quietly closed the door. He passed the next few minutes texting Alya, confirming he had the single room.
Yes, Babe, it's exactly as you wanted it, you schemer, he told her.
It's not scheming, she retorted. I'm being the best wing woman ever, she defended herself.
Sure, Babe. Nino rolled his eyes. What was the point of all this again?
To get Mari and Adrien together! You know they're in love.
Don't you think they should work it out for themselves? Nino felt obliged to ask.
If we let them do that, they'll never work it out.
Nino could hear the long-suffering sigh in her voice. All right, but if this goes sideways, I'm blaming you, he said.
Yeah, whatever.
So, who did you end up rooming with? he asked.
When he got no response, Nino raised an eyebrow, but didn't press her. Just then, a voice called from the hallway.
'Get yourselves settled quickly, students. We only have a few hours before we have to come back.'
Nino levered himself up and hoisted his schoolbag over his shoulder. He followed the stream of chattering classmates to the elevators where Marinette was whispering in Alya's ear, frazzled and gesturing wildly.
Suddenly, Nino felt a presence behind him. Turning, he saw Adrien bent over with his hands on his knees, his face pink.
'Are you ok, Man?' he asked.
'Yeah, I'm fine,' Adrien replied with a gusty exhalation.
Nino raised an eyebrow, appraising Adrien's condition. If he was this flustered after only a few minutes, there was no way he could survive the weekend.
'I'll tell you later,' Adrien mumbled as he stood up straight.
Alya and Marinette took the first elevator down. The elevators were small, so the class had to go down in two groups. Nino and Adrien caught the second one, waiting silently as the others gossiped around them. Nino watched Adrien surreptitiously as Adrien's blush slowly subsided, digging his phone out of his pocket when it buzzed.
Mari is having an apoplectic fit! Alya sent. She's whisper-screaming about how the fates can be so cruel and so kind at the same time. If she dies tonight, Adrien's paying for her funeral.
Nino covered a less than delicate snort of laughter.
Adrien's having a meltdown over here, Nino replied. His face is red and he hasn't said anything, but he's probably trying to think of a way he can get out of this like a gentleman.
Once they were walking away from the others for their first assignment, Nino got Adrien to speak. He was relieved to see that Adrien didn't suspect him of manoeuvring him into this situation, but he made sure Adrien understood the possible repercussions should this all go south.
They devised a workable plan to make sure none of their classmates were any the wiser before getting to the task of their first away-from-home project.
Walking all over town, trying to find places of significance was exhausting. By the time they made it back to the hotel, Nino's feet hurt and he was sure they were covered in blisters. He was glad to sit down to dinner and tease Kim for hauling Max on piggyback all over the place, like an overgrown marsupial.
'Who are you bunking with?' asked Adrien as they stepped out of the elevator, on their way to bed.
Nino forced a grin, hoping he wasn't about to hurt Adrien's feelings too badly. 'I got a single,' he replied, putting as much satisfaction into his voice as he could.
Adrien stared in stunned disbelief. 'How did that happen?' he demanded.
'Dunno,' Nino lied with a shrug.
Adrien clasped his hands under his chin. 'Can you swap with Marinette, please?'
'No way,' Nino told him, trying to sound firm.
Adrien looked crestfallen and Nino's determination wavered.
'Why not?' asked Adrien, looking lost.
Nino cleared his throat, buying himself a moment to suppress his guilt and come up with a plausible reason. 'Because everyone saw me enter my room. It would be weird if they saw Mar come out of there in the morning. How would we explain it? Also, your room only has one bed and you're a hugger.'
Nino made a mental note to ask Alya how she had managed to get them into a room with only one bed.
Adrien's gaze dropped. 'I told you, I can't help that. There's nothing weird about it,' he mumbled.
Nino's gut wrenched once more. I'm a terrible friend, he thought.
'Normally, I'd agree,' Nino replied, trying to salvage what he could of their friendship. 'But it's summer and you're like a giant hot water bottle. I may as well cuddle with my cat.'
Nino saw Adrien cringe, but refrained from commenting. 'Well, it looks like everyone's turned in for the night,' observed Nino, a bit too loudly. 'I'll see you in the morning, Bro.' He hoped Adrien didn't notice the awkwardly obvious change of topic.
Nino retreated hastily to his room, leaving Adrien standing forlornly in the hallway. Once inside, Nino pulled out his phone and texted Alya.
I feel like a monster, he confessed
I feel like murdering a bitch, Alya responded.
Nino raised a brow at the uncharacteristically violent text. Is everything ok?
No, everything's lousy.
What happened? Nino settled against his pillows and flicked on the TV for background noise.
I have that no-good liar for a roommate.
Nino's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. You're rooming with Lila? How did that happen?
He could practically hear Alya growl.
I was too busy making sure all the other girls roomed together to check to see what that left me with. A grievous oversight on my part. I can't believe I missed something so obvious.
You do tend to get tunnel vision when you've got a scheme going on.
Shut up, sweetie.
What's going on with your plan, now? Nino asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.
Lol. Mari's freaking out. I can't get a coherent sentence out of her.
Nino grinned. He thought he should have felt sorry for Marinette, but this had been a long time coming. He would never admit it to Alya, but Marinette and Adrien did need all the help they could get.
When Alya fell silent, he shot off a text to Adrien, hoping for a more specific answer as to how Marinette was reacting. He rolled his eyes at Adrien's attempt to sound detached and mature; he knew this was Adrien's first time spending time alone with a girl, let alone one he liked, even if he wasn't aware of that yet.
He laughed aloud at Marinette's pillow wall, knowing it would do nothing to stop them from drawing together during the night, like a pair of magnets. But when Adrien agreed that Marinette was too polite to criticize him for switching sides on the bed, Nino brought his hand to his forehead with a resounding slap.
Deciding that Adrien's obliviousness was too much to deal with so late at night, Nino turned off his light and went to sleep.

Adrien was inexplicably smug on Saturday morning when Nino fetched him from his room. When Nino asked what happened, Adrien would shake his head and laugh, the most he said was that Marinette "wasn't a morning person."
Nino rolled his eyes at Adrien's attempts to be vague and mysterious, letting him have his private joke. Nino's patience was rewarded when Adrien confessed everything over lunch, unable to keep it to himself any longer. Nino shook his head at Adrien's childishness, but his own smile belied the action. It was cute, thinking of them curled up together, Adrien carefully extracting himself so she wouldn't be disturbed. The way he'd woken her up was just plain funny.
As the day wound down, they had to hand write essays on their cultural experiences of the day. Nino took pity on Adrien, as he looked increasingly apprehensive about going back to his room. Adrien accepted Nino's offer to study in his room so fast, Nino wondered if something had happened while he wasn't looking. He eventually surmised that Adrien wasn't looking forward to the awkwardness left over from this morning, or another intimate morning encounter.
Finally, Adrien left for his own room, shaking the cramps out of his hands as he went.
How's everything going with your girl? he texted Alya.
The same as usual, Alya replied. A little embarrassed that she probably pushed Adrien out of bed this morning, maybe.
Nino tried to suppress a laugh, but ended up blowing a raspberry between his lips. Is that what she told you? Either she's a consummate liar, or Adrien is too kind for his own good.
What do you mean? Alya asked.
Nino told her everything Adrien had told him.
That little fink! Alya exclaimed. She lied to me. I can't believe her.
What did she tell you? Nino was curious, now.
That she woke up, spread eagled across the bed, pillows everywhere. That Adrien got up early and that he'd woken her up. That's it.
Nino could imagine Alya riled up and huffing at her phone. I think I see what happened here, he said. Adrien woke up, wrapped around Mar, and then moved away without waking her. After he woke her up, he told her he removed the pillows, and then she rolled all over the place, to spare her feelings. Does that make sense?
That... makes a lot of sense, actually, she conceded. Adrien's quite an accomplished liar, isn't he, getting Mari to believe she slept alone?
Nino chuckled. Of course he's a good liar. He does have that "Secret Identity" to protect.
Alya sent a LOL in reply, then they wished each other goodnight.

Nino was awakened Sunday morning by a distant, but piercing, shriek. He quickly dismissed it after he recognised Marinette's voice, knowing he would get the story out of Adrien later. Deciding the sound was as good as an alarm clock, Nino rose and got ready for the day.
He got his explanation when Adrien sheepishly confessed to spooning Marinette, as if it were the worst of social taboos. Nino cackled loud and long at Adrien's expense, much to his chagrin.
He laughed all through the tour of the art gallery, chortled as they ate lunch, and giggled incessantly inside the museum. Adrien's scowls of disapproval through the day only served to make Nino's guffaws worse. Adrien looked like a bad Gabriel Agreste impersonator.
Nino forced himself to calm down during dinner, since this was their last night together and he wanted Adrien to enjoy his last night of freedom and companionship.
Finally, they headed to bed, sneaking a reluctant Adrien into his room when the others were all tucked away.
In the privacy of his own room, Nino texted Alya again. I gotta ask, he began, how did you manage to get them only one bed?
Alya merely sent back a winky face.
Nino harrumphed. Fine, have your secrets.
I intend to, she replied.
How was Mar today? Nino asked, changing the subject.
A mess! That squeal this morning was her waking up first, wrapped in Adrien's arms. I can't believe how well this has gone.
Keep talking like that and you'll jinx it, Nino warned.
Alya dismissed his concerns, then wished him a goodnight. He returned the sentiment and snuggled down to sleep.

The following morning, their entire floor was woken up by an embarrassingly high-pitched male scream.
Nino was the first out of his room, and was the only one who saw Adrien stagger out of his room, still in his pyjamas, his face white.
'Dude, what's wrong?' Nino asked, as he came up beside Adrien.
Adrien could only stare at him, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide.
'It's ok, Buddy. I got you,' Nino told him, soothingly, leading him across to his own room.
He made Adrien a cup of tea and wrapped him in a spare blanket from the closet. Adrien's hands shook too badly to hold the cup, so Nino took it from him before it could spill.
He took a step back and appraised Adrien, critically. He was in shock and Nino needed help to deal with this development.
Before he could text Alya, Madame Bustier called from the hallway. 'Time to rise and shine, students. We need to be out the door in thirty minutes.'
There was a collective, indignant shriek from the other rooms followed by thumps and yells as the others collected their things and made ready to depart.
Nino threw his belongings together, got dressed, and hustled Adrien back into his room once Marinette had left. Adrien got himself dressed while Nino haphazardly packed his suitcase for him, then frogmarched him to the elevators, across the lobby, and into a waiting bus. Their classmates didn't even question their odd behaviour, too sleepy and unobservant to notice anything amiss.
Nino pushed Adrien right to the back of the bus, well away from the others, and wedged him into a seat by the window, casually waving off Madame Bustier's concerned look.
'He's just not a morning person,' he chuckled, weakly.
Alya dragged a partially comatose Marinette into the bus, heading toward Nino when he waved her over. She pushed Marinette into the opposite window seat, where she slumped against the glass and began to snore.
Alya and Nino conferred in whispers, careful to avoid disturbing their friends.
'What happened, what do we do?' Alya asked, desperately.
Nino shrugged, helplessly. 'I don't know. He hasn't spoken at all,' he replied, indicating Adrien.
'Sit down and buckle up, children,' Madame Bustier said. 'It's time to go home.'
Nino sat with Alya in the seat in front of Adrien, looking at each other and wondering what had happened, and if they should prepare for a disaster.
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