The city was dipped in gold when Jade stepped off the bus, the last light of dusk spilling between tall buildings. Streetlamps hummed awake one by one, glowing halos against the winter sky, while the air carried a faint bite that promised snow by morning.
Adrien was already waiting for him by the corner café, leaning casually against a lamppost, dressed in black as if the night itself had shaped him. Even among the evening crowd, Adrien stood out his presence pulled eyes like gravity.
And Jade noticed, as always.
“Late,” Adrien murmured, though his lips curved in that crooked smile.
“I’m on time.” Jade adjusted his scarf, defensive.
Adrien tilted his head, studying him like an artwork only he could fully appreciate. “Then everyone else is too early.”
The line made Jade flush. He hated how easily Adrien did that twisted ordinary words into something that felt dangerous, intimate.
They walked through the city together, the streets alive with chatter, neon signs blinking in rhythmic pulses. Adrien’s stride was long, deliberate, and Jade always found himself half a step behind until Adrien’s hand brushed against his arm, guiding him closer.
Not guiding steering.
When a group of Jade’s classmates emerged from a bookstore up ahead, waving, Adrien’s hand pressed firmly to the small of his back.
“Not tonight,” Adrien said lowly.
Jade blinked. “But that’s”
“Later.” Adrien’s voice was velvet over steel, quiet but leaving no room for argument. “You’re with me.”
The classmates passed, laughter trailing, and Jade managed a small wave before Adrien pulled him into the flow of another street.
For a second, Jade almost protested. He almost said: I could’ve just said hi, what’s the harm? But then Adrien’s gaze landed on him intense, unreadable and the words stuck in his throat.
Instead, he laughed weakly. “You sound like a jealous boyfriend.”
Adrien’s smile sharpened, though his tone stayed smooth. “Do I?”
The silence that followed was heavy, and Jade filled it quickly. “I didn’t mean It was a joke.”
Adrien said nothing, but the faintest curve lingered on his lips. Shadows in his smile.
They ended up at a street vendor selling roasted chestnuts, the smoky scent curling in the air. Adrien bought a small paper bag and handed it to Jade without asking if he wanted any.
The warmth seeped into Jade’s chilled fingers. He cracked one open, the shell crunching under his thumb, and for a moment the ordinary simplicity of it grounded him.
“Good?” Adrien asked, watching him closely.
“Yeah.” Jade smiled, cheeks puffed as he chewed. “Better than I thought.”
Adrien’s eyes softened at that, the edges of his sharpness folding away. He reached out, brushing a stray shell flake from Jade’s lip with his thumb. The gesture was casual, almost tender but it left Jade frozen, pulse stuttering in his throat.
Adrien didn’t move his hand right away. His thumb lingered a second too long, then withdrew slowly, deliberately.
“You make everything look better than it is,” Adrien said softly.
The words warmed Jade, even as something unspoken coiled beneath them.
Half an hour later, they passed a small park. Through the gates, Jade caught a glimpse of Danielle sitting on a bench under a streetlight, earbuds in, head bent over a notebook.
“Wait” Jade slowed.
Adrien followed his gaze instantly. His expression cooled, though his smile never wavered. “Ah. Him again.”
Jade frowned. “That’s Danielle. He’s”
“I know who he is.” Adrien’s hand caught Jade’s wrist before he could move toward the park. “But tonight, he doesn’t matter.”
Jade blinked. “He’s my friend.”
Adrien’s grip eased, but didn’t fall away. His voice dipped low, coaxing. “Friends can wait. I can’t.”
Jade hesitated, glancing back once more at Danielle’s figure in the park, oblivious, lost in his own world. His chest ached faintly, guilt twisting at the edges but Adrien’s eyes held him, bright and consuming.
And like always, Jade chose to follow.
Later, as they walked along the quieter side streets, Adrien’s mood shifted again lighter, charming, weaving stories that made Jade laugh until his stomach hurt. It was easy to forget the earlier moments, easy to slip into the rhythm of Adrien’s presence, the way he filled space like no one else.
But as the night deepened and they paused under the glow of a flickering sign, Adrien stepped closer.
“You’re different when you’re with me,” he murmured, leaning in so only Jade could hear. “Like the world fades out and you finally breathe.”
Jade swallowed, throat dry. “That’s… dramatic.”
“Is it?” Adrien’s smile was there again warm, shadowed. His hand brushed Jade’s jaw, tilting his face up just slightly. “You don’t need anyone else, Jade. Just me.”
The words landed like a spark and a weight all at once. A rush of heat bloomed in Jade’s chest part flattery, part fear. He knew it was too much, too intense, too soon. But in Adrien’s eyes, it looked like truth.
And Jade, against his better judgment, let himself believe it.
When he returned home that night, scarf damp with faint drizzle, Jade collapsed onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. His phone buzzed with a message from Danielle
You okay? Haven’t seen you much this week.
Jade hesitated, fingers hovering. He typed Yeah, just busy. Let’s hang soon, then set the phone aside without hitting send.
Adrien’s words still whispered at the edge of his thoughts.
You don’t need anyone else. Just me.
Jade closed his eyes, telling himself it was protectiveness, not control. Affection, not warning.
And in the quiet dark of his room, he let that version be true.
ns216.73.217.69da2
and then Add to home screen.