My Valentine

3: Pink-Stained Lips

The school's cafeteria always made special desserts for the holidays. If you call a sheet cake a special dessert. For Valentine's Day, they served a red velvet cake with pink icing topped with one of those conversation hearts. They tasted like chalk so most kids just picked them off the cake before eating.

Adrien was hesitant to dig into his dessert for fear of having the icing stain his lips. For St. Partick's Day, they served a green cake with green icing topped with green sprinkles. They use so much green dye that one can imagine what the students looked like coming back from lunch. He didn't want to look like he'd put on any lipstick though he has before for photo shoots and ads.

Thinking about his lips brought him back to last night. How he'd watched Marinette's. How he'd kissed her head. It made him fluster and then slump back into his seat, avoiding watching her on the other side of the dining room.

"I can't imagine the most popular guy in school being so bummed on Valentine's Day of all days," Nino said in-between bites of his sub.

Adrien had already had this conversation with Nino many times before. He'd explain how he's not wanting a relationship with anyone, especially for Valentine's Day. Nino would then protest, saying he wants his friend to enjoy the benefits of a romantic relationship. Nino made it look easy when he was with Alya. The two of them made such a great pair. Adrien was jealous. Why couldn't he and Ladybug make a good couple? They were already great partners. Why not add romance?

Adrien shot Nino a look, hoping his friend would see the irritation in his face to not press the repeat of another conversation. Unfortunately, Nino was already occupied with the red velvet cake, the icing staining his lips pink. There's my answer about the cake. Adrien thought to himself sliding his piece over to his friend.

"I mean," Nino smacks his lips "You get so many cards and gifts, I just don't see how you can't decide."

"Decide?" Adrien questioned.

"Yeah decide. Decide on what girl to date."

"I can't do that. Picking a girl to date because it's Valentine's Day is like families wearing matching shirts to theme parks. It makes sense, but is it necessary?" He pointed at Nino waiting for his response.

"Then pick one to take to the dance." Nino looked over at Alya who was sitting next to Marinette. The two girls were caught up in conversation. For a second Nino thought to mention Marinette as a candidate for Adrien to date but quickly decided against it not wanting to face the consequences with Alya.

Alya told him everything, especially about Marinette liking Adrien. But he couldn't say anything about it. He knew Marinette would be a great girlfriend for his pal but didn't want to risk his relationship on it. Nino knew that Alya would say something to Marinette about asking Adrien to the dance, so it was his job to plant the seed: Get Adrien to consider having a date for the dance.

"I can't do that either."

"Huh?" Nino looked concerned. Adrien had started to look somberly at his lunch tray. Either he just doesn't care for subs or he is the saddest person on Valentine's Day.

"My father said I could go with some conditions, and taking a girl as a date wouldn't go over so well with him and those conditions."

"So, Father, may I go?" Adrien was clenching his white napkin nervously under the table. Across from him, his father sat, something he rarely ever did.

Gabriel always had a cold and concrete stance to him. Anyone who would dare speak to him would quickly learn his personality. Even being his son, Adrien always felt like he was walking on eggshells when talking to him.

Gabriel sipped his red wine to clean his pallet for his next bite of lamb.

"You want my permission for you to go out at night, to a party, with them?"

Adrien's father has never truly approved of his friends at school. He always had something negative to say about them. The only one he never spoke ill of was Marinette.

"Chloe will be there, along with her chaperone. And I thought that if I went with friends I wouldn't need a chaperone. Just someone to take me home afterward."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "A chaperone is none negotiable if I were to allow you to go."

"Of course." Adrien tried not to respond so quickly as to not look so eager for his approval.

"With this being a dance, would you be considering a," Gabriel hesitated "a date?"

Adrien's face flushed. He hadn't considered a date. All he was focused on was getting his father's permission.

"I- I don't know."

His father went back to eating his dinner and the rest of the evening was filled with silence.

Later, when Adrien was up in his room poking at his piano, Natalie had come to the door. She relayed to Adrien his father's approval of going to the dance as long as he has a chaperone and at least one dance with
Ms. Bourgeoise.

Adrien was so excited about getting a yes that it didn't register he had to dance with Chloé. In any way, he didn't care. Getting to go was worth it.

Laughter from a few tables over brought Adrien back to the present. Nino was finishing his second piece of red cake.

If things were different, Adrien would have picked a date for the dance. He looked over at Marinette who was poking at her salad. She looked tired though her mind was somewhere else.