theshipyard | ✨ .//. Piper McLean » Percy Jackson: Heroes of Olympus

[ ...YEAH. Yeah, he acknowledges it; can’t help but laugh because Piper’s probably right about how deeply the good in Chloe is buried. But it’s there, like some diamond in the rough.

Maybe he does have to play a little dirty to get there. He shrugs. ]

It counts for something.

[ To him, at least.

Briefly, he wonders if he might have heard something she whispered under her breath just now, but he decides not to question it. ]

For what it’s worth—she was probably a little jealous of you.

[ It's better than some of the girls she's known in the past, she has to concede that point as well, but keeps that to herself for several reasons.

She probably could have at least pretended not to know what Chloe would be jealous over, but the way that the girl fussed over Adrien Piper wouldn't be surprised if the reaction she'd gotten today was because Chloe felt Piper was encroaching on her "territory" or something. Knowing the likely reason doesn't make her any less embarrassed, especially with that line coming from him, because... yeah. She hadn't missed the way people were talking about the two of them today. A large part of why she's been so flustered all day is hearing people commenting on what a good looking couple they made. It was no wonder Chloe blew her lid. ]

Of me? Because of all the attention today? I'd have let her have it if I could. I didn't ask for this... makeover...

[ There's no way that is going to make any kind of sense, but you can't blame her for trying to be honest. ]

[ Actually!! Actually, it explains a lot, if Adrien is perfectly honest, but he’s careful about saying so. His eyes light with recognition and he tilts his head, as if to get a better look at her. ]

Oh, so that’s what it is. I knew you looked different today, but I didn’t really wanna say anything, ‘cause—

Well...

[ He makes a vague sweeping gesture at all of Paris below them and figures she’d know what he meant.

That, plus, he’s a stupid boy, and hell if he’d know what to say anyway.

He trails off. ]

...You...don’t like it?

Edited 2018-05-09 08:52 (UTC)

[ He earns some points for that, admitting that he hadn't planned to comment, though she's not really sure if his vague reasoning was her discomfort or uncertainty of how to approach the subject, or something else entirely.

Considering for a moment, Piper shrugs a bit, trying to downplay said discomfort even now. ]

Not really. Honestly I usually try to keep a low profile at school. I've been moving between schools since I could remember, so...

[ She sighs, shutting her eyes again. ]

I've never really made friends either.

[ So, he could probably imagine how doing the social 180 of going from skulky loner to "center of everyone's attention" was a BIT disorienting. ]

Edited (What the hell Chrome, stop eating my tags.) 2018-05-09 14:31 (UTC)

[ Ah... now where has he heard this story before?

Not that Adrien ever had the luxury of changing schools, mind you, but her words still resonate with him. He smiles sheepishly. ]

I had to beg my dad just to let me come to school.

[ and by beg, he means “literally sneak out, showing his dad how serious he was about it so he’d finally cave” but.

beg! “beg” is simpler. ]

There wasn’t anything low-profile about it...but it’s gotten me a ton of friends. It can probably do the same for you.

[ His tone is gentle. It really is hard for him to look away, once he’s met her eyes. ]

It can be different this time.

[ There's an awful lot to unpack in Adrien's reply, and given a few moments to do so Piper might find a starting point as to where to begin, but as it happens there are two parts that really stand out for her.

Okay, three.

One, his father had been so... what, overly protective? Strict? Something- that he'd apparently decided home school was better for his son than public school. Having been home schooled- sort of -for a time by her father she'd always thought that was preferable to being shoved off into private school after private school. It didn't sound like- on a surface level -she and Adrien's situations had been that different, but here she was with a rap sheet and track record of schools she'd run away from and stores she'd "robbed" in the name of getting her father to spend even ten minutes scolding her over. It makes her wonder about Adrien's relationship with his father but socialized or not Piper is damn well aware of how nosy and impolite it would be to go prying into his private life like that, just becaue they had a couple things in common.

She keeps her thoughts to herself, but doesn't tune out his counsel.

Two: The idea of actually trying to make friends is such a foreign concept for Piper, in part since she'd never wanted to have to deal with people fawning over her dad's name if they put two and two together.

And three: "It can be different this time."

... Damn. Seriously? Did he HAVE to sound so damned smooth when he said that? Piper was immediately uncomfortable with the way she felt inside of her own skin after hearing him say that, especially holding eye contact with him like she was, even with her lying down. Suddenly she felt butterflies in her stomach. Butterflies. ~~Nani the fu-~~

Blushing hotly, Piper sat up quickly and letting her hair fall back around her shoulders, she was hoping to hide the reaction, feeling awkward. It was the first time that a boy had gotten that type of response out of her. That was one downside to keeping a low profile everywhere she went, she had no PRACTICE at this kind of thing. ]

...

[ She stays silent for a while, trying to get her wildly beating heart back under control before she feels brave enough to speak up again. Maybe he'd get the wrong idea if she just kept her mouth shut, but... surprisingly, she realized, Piper didn't want that.

It can be different this time.

Maybe he was right? Maybe things could be different, with school, with her social life, with her crazy, weird mom actually being a part of it, with her dad actually spending time with her. Did she really want to make herself miserable just to maintain the status quo? The people in their school seemed genuinely nice, for the most part, which was a massive improvement, maybe attributed to the fact the school was relatively small, compared to an American school, anyway. Whatever the reason, it was a nice change of pace. Would it really be so bad to indulge and enjoy it? ]

... Alright. I... guess I could give it a try.

Edited 2018-05-10 14:49 (UTC)

[ Seeing her visibly uncomfortable makes him feel a little self-conscious too, and he looks away again as a way of giving her some space. He still finds himself glancing, though, out of the corner of his eye, just to make sure she hasn’t like...physically melted off the tower.

Or whatever happened, when girls were embarrassed.

The words may be coming naturally to him, but he still feels like he’s walking on egg shells.

Why does Adrien Agreste have that effect on people, anyway...? Cat Noir is so much simpler. So much more him. ]

Great.

[ He smiles regardless, willing himself to be more at ease for the both of them. He keeps swinging his feet. Because...it helps, for some reason. ]

Don’t worry. They were a little nuts around me too, at first, but they’re good people. They’ll get to know you soon enough. The real you.

[ If you let them, that is. But that goes without saying. ]

[ Piper's expression shifted slowly after listening, from a slightly look to a tentative smile, slow but hopeful. She was coming to grips with the idea, though it was going to take some getting used to, for sure. No reason she couldn't try though, especially if she wanted things to turn out with her dad.

The real her, huh?

Maybe Paris could be a real fresh start, after all. ]

Yeah, well... I guess that'd be alright. Or kind of nice.

[ The moment was just getting a bit mushy for her, which is fine, but she doesn't really know what to do with this soft side yet, not with Adrien, who she feels so oddly drawn towards, and attracted to. Piper doesn't like to think herself the superficial or shallow sort but Adrien had more going for him than just looks alone, which is what made it so hard for her to wrestle with her opinions of him as a person and a classmate. On the one hand, yes, he was insanely good looking for a boy their age. He obviously had a good heart, coming all this way just to check on her, and seeing the good in someone like Chloe, and even going so far as to befriend people who had maybe seen him as more celebrity than person at first. Piper was sure she wouldn't have had the patience for half of that, let alone all of it. Those were all admirable things, but that isn't even all of it.

He has an adventurous side, she knows it, she can feel it somehow. The fact that he'd come to the top of the tower and hadn't even looked slightly nervous about joining her in this restricted area was telling in a way. So maybe she didn't know for sure that he made a habit of breaking rules or anything, but he's brave, if nothing else. Daring. That's exciting. That's something that she likes and is curious about and makes her want to learn more about him. He obviously doesn't mind- or if she's honest and not being ridiculously modest and doubtful -likes her company enough to go to all this trouble. And judging by the glances she's not the only one feeling some kind of tension, though on THAT topic she's inclined to believe that maybe she COULD be imagining things.

Then there's the other hand... She's just met Adrien, even if it was a week ago, and he's the one person in Paris she's actually spoken to the most aside from her own father. Sure, they clicked, but she was being awfully presumptuous and getting pretty far ahead of herself developing a crush on a boy she'd just met. Get that shit under control, McLean. ]

So, tell me about them? The rest of the class, besides Chloe I mean.

[ Adrien looks shocked by Piper’s invitation—but in a good way, of course. He can tell she’s being reserved (opening up will take time), but he perks up regardless after some consideration and scrambles for a place to even begin. ]

Oh! Well—there’s Nino for starters. Kind of tan, with glasses, always wears that bright red cap?

He basically decided I needed better friends and we just...kind of clicked. [ Adrien snaps his fingers, as if the point needed demonstrating. He smiles fondly. ] He was my ice breaker.

Paying the kindness forward, I guess? [ Since he's acting as her icebreaker, now. This is all new and honestly still feels kind of strange, but whether Adrien realizes it or not he IS actually putting her more at ease. It's just that her instincts are literally telling her not to drop her guard so much. Part of that has to do with things she doesn't yet understand. She's finding it's easier to relax now than she was just a few minutes ago, at least, so she's going to go with it. She actually manages a full on lopsided grin at that, leaning back on her hands as her body language reflects the shift in her comfort zone. ]

He's always got a pair of headphones too, right?

The big orange ones. Exactly.

[ Sometimes they look a little too big for him, but who is Adrien to comment when he’s got people fussing over his wardrobe every single day? He does laugh a little though, that Piper seemed to notice them too. ]

The one with the long, fiery hair you’ll always see him with is Ayla, his girlfriend. Then you’ve got her best friend Marinette, with the pigtails.

She’s—

[ Adrien thinks about Marinette, the way she always seems to fumble her words around him—a complete 180 from the glares he got when they first met.

He still hasn’t found out what to make of her. What a strange one, though she is cute. ]

You’ll like them. They don’t tend to stand for Chloe’s behavior either.

[ ... She wonders about that pause. It seems innocent enough, but she can't decide if he's struggling for words or catching himself from saying something embarrassing. She tries to remember the girl with the pigtails that Adrien had described, maybe hanging close to Alya. Marinette... Right, yeah, Piper got a look at her actually. She really is pretty cute.

And pretty obviously as into Adrien as they get. Even with all the fuss going on about her makeover Piper managed to catch THAT much. Those vibes were so overt it would have been impossible to miss, yet somehow it seems like maybe Adrien has. Maybe he just chalks Marinette's crush up to her not knowing how to act around him still, it's... kind of strange. What's the story there? ]

I'm sure we'll get along, then. But, I mean... that doesn't bother you? With you and Chloe being friends, and all?

[ She might have expected him to try to get people to cut Chloe more slack, so it's curious that he can talk about it so casually. Then again, he's AWARE Chloe has her... problems, so, maybe he doesn't believe in enabling the behavior. That'd be... pretty mature of him for someone their age, actually, and pretty cool, too. ]

[ Does it bother him?

...Should it?

Adrien continues to swing his feet. In the end, he shakes his head. ]

We’re friends, but that doesn’t mean I have to encourage her behavior. I even told her once that I wouldn’t. You know, in that “I reaaally won’t be your friend anymore” kind of way?

It...sort of worked, but only for a while.

[ If he asked she would say she doesn't think it should. The only reason she asks is that most people tend to get so wrapped up in their loyalty that they won't call out the people they love on their crappy behavior. She gets it when people are jerks about it, but when the person in question is the jerk it falls to their loved ones to try to help better them.

... Right? Though she should try harder to take her own advice in that case, and make her dad understand her feelings. ]

I think the important thing is that you tried. I don't think there are a lot of people who would be brave enough to stand up to someone like that.

[ She isn't sure she would, truth be told. ]

[ Adrien shrugs to concede the point, smiling to himself over the compliment. ]

I’ll try harder next time.

[ He goes on to describe a few of his other friends in the class, creating rapport with Piper before finally flipping open his phone a while later with a sigh. ]

Sorry. Gotta head home for my piano lessons...

You need a ride?

[ Even though she's already acknowledged the novelty of actually getting to know someone outside of her family for the first time in her life, Piper still can't quite get past how easy it feels, or how good. She's not about to start regretting her past actions or anything, but she's glad that someone pushed her to actually stop and reevaluate them.

Learning more about the class Piper gets a pretty good feel for what sort of people they must all be, to get along so well despite being such an incredibly eclectic group of people. There are gamers, musicians, jocks, tomboys, girly-girls, artists, rockers, vloggers, and yes- a couple of snobs -all in one class and everyone gets along for the most part. It's pretty miraculous. ~~see what I did there~~. Maybe tomorrow will be easier with fresh eyes and a fresh start.

By the time Adrien pulls out his phone she's realizing herself how late it's gotten. She's under a curfew right now as a direct result of her own actions, so she'd better not start a new year getting grounded.

So she tries for a smile, because now he seems to be the one needing cheering up.

A little bit awkwardly.... ]

I... yeah. If you're sure it's no trouble?

[ First instinct was to say no. She's trying though, Adrien. Breaking antisocial habits is gonna take some getting used to, time. ]

[ Her smile is beautiful. He returns it without even really meaning to, and honestly laughs at the idea that this offer would be anything more than a minor, totally-worth-it inconvenience. ]

No trouble. You'll see.

[ His thumbs tap his screen as he sends instructions to his driver.

Granted this is the daughter of Tristan McLean, so this probably isn't the first time she's gotten the limo treatment...but hey, he can still show off a little, right?

Adrien doesn't take no for an answer. They drive Piper home in what feels like no time at all; and by the time he makes it back to his own room, he realizes he's already left wanting more.

There's so much he doesn't know about her still, and he intends to find out. Even if it leads to trouble... ]

✨ .//. Piper McLean » Percy Jackson: Heroes of Olympus

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