The Proper-False (Part three, PG-13, 1465 words)
Title: The Proper-False
Author: lilian_cho
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Original
Pairing: future Adrien/Nicholas
Wordcount: 1465
Warnings: Harlequinesque plot. MOAR Pretty Women references and Chinese jokes.
A/N: Answers holidaysmut's Boss and embrace your Geekness challenges and writing_game's prompts: genetic, silly & ramble.
Unbeta-ed as of yet, please do point out jarring SpaG and/or continuity errors.
Part Four would probably be up next weekend.
Part [ One | Two ]
“Richard’s here,” Maureen announced at 8:40. “He asked to be seated at your table, of course.”
“Who’s Richard-Oh.” Nicholas said. Richard Gere. Cute.
“Richard? Is it because he’s a dick?” Conner approached them, an ice water pitcher in his hand.
“It’s his middle name,” Nicholas said smoothly. “Here’s some mint candy for your boyfriend. Too bad nothing can fix his spitting habit.”
“You are so immature,” Conner said with disgust.
Nicholas called out to his back, “And I have fewer wrinkles too!”
Maureen tapped her feet impatiently. “Stop antagonizing Conner and get.”
Nicholas’ smile was a bit manic on account of nerves. “Here’s to next year’s tuition and lots and lots of Pocky boxes.”
Armed with the dinner and drink menus, he approached his Imminent Employer. “Good evening. What would you like to order?”
Adrien didn’t even glance at the menus. “I’d like coffee for here, and tiramisu to go.”
“Do you want the house coffee or the Café Italia? Café Italia has Frangelico in it.”
“Sure, I have a hankering for something sweet.”
“One Café Italia,” Nicholas needlessly scribbled on his pad. “And will that be one serving of tiramisu?”
Adrien looked at him with a faint smile. “I don’t know. What do you like?”
Nicholas’ heart inexplicably beat faster. “The mascarpone cheesecake is good.”
“One tiramisu and one mascarpone cheesecake then. We can share.”
Nicholas tried to keep a silly grin off his face. “I’ll be right back with your coffee.”
*******
Things went on without a hitch until his Current Employer chatted with his Temporary Employer. “I didn’t realize you have family in the East Coast, Nicholas,” his manager said. Lord knows what lies Adrien had been pouring into her ear.
“Oh, you know us Chinese,” Nicholas said, not missing a beat. “We sprout everywhere it’s like leprosy.”
Adrien almost spewed his coffee all over the eggshell white tablecloth.
“Are you alright, Adrien? Is the coffee too hot?” Nicholas said in faux concern.
“I should check with the kitchen about their hot water temperature,” Lisa said, a small frown on her face.
Adrien immediately gave her a reassuring smile. “The temperature’s perfectly fine. It just went down the wrong pipe, that’s all.”
“If you’re sure...”
Adrien assured her that he was fine.
“There’s only five minutes left in your shift, Nicholas.” She looked at her wristwatch. “Why don’t you head out early with your friend?”
Nicholas beamed. “Awesome! Thank you Lisa. I’ll be back two Mondays from now.”
Lisa waved him away, giving one last “Have a good night” to Adrien.
When she was safely out of earshot, Nicholas asked suspiciously, “What did you tell her?”
Adrien raised an eyebrow. “I just went along with your ‘family emergency’ excuse.”
“And now I’m saddled with an ailing grandfather all the way in New York?”
“A grandaunt who’s battling cancer, actually,” Adrien said glibly. “She had been a surrogate grandmother to you, since your own grandmother passed away when you were little.”
Nicholas covered his face. “Both my grandmother and step-grandmother are still alive and kicking, actually,” he muttered through his fingers.
Adrien ignored him. “Grab your stuff. I’m parked across the street.”
“Yes, dear,” Nicholas said, getting into the spirit of things.
*******
Carry-on suitcase in hand, Nicholas followed Adrien toward a black BMW. While it was a nice new model, it was not the flashy car that he expected from someone who could throw ten grand around easily.
He set his suitcase on its side in the pristine trunk and closed the trunk door. “Is your Porsche at home?”
“No, it’s back East with the Jaguar and the Aston Martin,” Adrien said, opening the passenger door and walking around the front of the car to the driver’s side.
Nicholas settled in his seat and put on his seatbelt. “Sometimes I can’t tell whether you’re joking or being serious.”
“The feeling is mutual, I assure you,” Adrien said, checking his rearview mirror. He started the car, and then reached inside his jacket. “Oh, before I forget, here’s the first half of your fee.”
Nicholas accepted the personal check, smiling goofily at all those zeroes.
“I hope you have an account with that bank; it’ll make things easier. Most other banks don’t open until ten a.m.”
Nicholas looked up from the check in his hand. “Hhmm?”
“I’m assuming you want to deposit the money before we fly out tomorrow morning,” Adrien said.
Nicholas blinked at him.
“Oh, right! In case you turn out to be an axe murderer, there would be a paper trail that connect you to the murder!”
“I was thinking that you can verify that I actually have the funds to pay you, but that works too,” Adrien said dryly.
Nicholas slipped the check inside his wallet and tucked it inside his pants. “Sorry, nerves.”
Adrien snorted in disbelief.
*******
Ten minutes later, they drove into the parking garage for a high-rise apartment complex in downtown. When they walked past a baby grand piano in the lounge area, Nicholas figured that the rent for this place must be astronomical.
“Why am I not surprised that you live in a penthouse,” Nicholas said when Adrien pressed the button for the top floor.
Adrien shrugged. “My mother’s family owns this building. I might as well live here.”
“Right, it must be such a hardship for you to have a floor-to-ceiling view of the Bay.”
“How did you know that I have French windows?”
Nicholas manfully did not release a cry of frustration.
“And here we are,” Adrien said, pressing the open button while Nicholas rolled his suitcase onto the lush carpet.
Adrien took out a key from his pants and opened the door to his penthouse. “Home sweet home,” he said, flipping on the central light. He slipped off his socks and shoes and padded barefoot into an alcove. “I’ll put the cakes in the kitchen.”
Nicholas lined up his shoes next to Adrien’s and left his suitcase upright next to a coat stand. He then immediately made a beeline to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.
Right palm pressed against the cool glass, he peered out at the dark vista beyond. “That’s a sweet view of the bay,” he said admiringly.
“The view is spectacular at sunrise and sunset,” said Adrien, who had materialized behind him. “I would give you the five-cent tour of the building’s indoor swimming pool and spa facilities, but they close at nine.”
“You must be the first person I know who have mastered the art of being a flirt and a jerk at the same time,” Nicholas said, turning around to face him.
Adrien gave him a What did I say look, which didn’t fool him one bit.
“How about you give me a tour of our penthouse of iniquity instead?”
Adrien shook his head with a resigned air. “The things that come out of your mouth…”
“I would tell you it’s genetic, but then my dad would start making noises about how they had found me abandoned in the Great Wall Mall toilet.”
“Your sense of humor is hereditary, at least.” Adrien snorted.
“Oh, that one’s my dad’s fault, alright. My mom’s more concerned about preserving my self-worth.”
Adrien muttered that his parents have both clearly succeeded. He ran his hand across the back of a dark leather sofa, which somehow looked inviting and larger-than-life at the same time. “So here’s the receiving area slash living room, where we entertain our twenty-something yuppies guests and the occasional client of mine.”
“How about starving college students who’re looking to score some free alcohol?”
Adrien gave him a stern look. “You don’t look like the frat type to me.”
“Hey, I totally have Cool Asian friends too! I don’t always hang out with the Geek Asians, you know.”
“What is this, high school?” Adrien asked, affecting a bored tone. “At any rate, I don’t want my family to think we hold pot parties here at a regular basis.”
“Oh, fine. So what do I do when my friends hypothetically come over?”
“What do you do when your friends come over?”
“Have dinner, pop in a movie or two…”
“There you go then.” Adrien waved at the large flat screen TV and various gadgets in front of the wall.
Nicholas perked up. “Oh, oh! Do we do couple-y things like having brunch with other couples among our friends?”
Adrien had a disturbed expression on his face.
Nicholas pouted. “You’re a sucky boyfriend.”
“I don’t have any ‘couple-y’ couple among my friends,” Adrien said defensively. “Let’s not make our story needlessly complicated.”
“Right,” Nicholas conceded. “So how did we meet?” He bounced on his feet. “And when did you fall madly in love with me?”
“I wouldn’t go as far as falling madly in love,” Adrien said cagily.
He gestured at their right side. "Over there are the guest bedrooms. I'm using one of them as my office and library."
Author: lilian_cho
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Original
Pairing: future Adrien/Nicholas
Wordcount: 1465
Warnings: Harlequinesque plot. MOAR Pretty Women references and Chinese jokes.
A/N: Answers holidaysmut's Boss and embrace your Geekness challenges and writing_game's prompts: genetic, silly & ramble.
Unbeta-ed as of yet, please do point out jarring SpaG and/or continuity errors.
Part Four would probably be up next weekend.
Part [ One | Two ]
“Richard’s here,” Maureen announced at 8:40. “He asked to be seated at your table, of course.”
“Who’s Richard-Oh.” Nicholas said. Richard Gere. Cute.
“Richard? Is it because he’s a dick?” Conner approached them, an ice water pitcher in his hand.
“It’s his middle name,” Nicholas said smoothly. “Here’s some mint candy for your boyfriend. Too bad nothing can fix his spitting habit.”
“You are so immature,” Conner said with disgust.
Nicholas called out to his back, “And I have fewer wrinkles too!”
Maureen tapped her feet impatiently. “Stop antagonizing Conner and get.”
Nicholas’ smile was a bit manic on account of nerves. “Here’s to next year’s tuition and lots and lots of Pocky boxes.”
Armed with the dinner and drink menus, he approached his Imminent Employer. “Good evening. What would you like to order?”
Adrien didn’t even glance at the menus. “I’d like coffee for here, and tiramisu to go.”
“Do you want the house coffee or the Café Italia? Café Italia has Frangelico in it.”
“Sure, I have a hankering for something sweet.”
“One Café Italia,” Nicholas needlessly scribbled on his pad. “And will that be one serving of tiramisu?”
Adrien looked at him with a faint smile. “I don’t know. What do you like?”
Nicholas’ heart inexplicably beat faster. “The mascarpone cheesecake is good.”
“One tiramisu and one mascarpone cheesecake then. We can share.”
Nicholas tried to keep a silly grin off his face. “I’ll be right back with your coffee.”
*******
Things went on without a hitch until his Current Employer chatted with his Temporary Employer. “I didn’t realize you have family in the East Coast, Nicholas,” his manager said. Lord knows what lies Adrien had been pouring into her ear.
“Oh, you know us Chinese,” Nicholas said, not missing a beat. “We sprout everywhere it’s like leprosy.”
Adrien almost spewed his coffee all over the eggshell white tablecloth.
“Are you alright, Adrien? Is the coffee too hot?” Nicholas said in faux concern.
“I should check with the kitchen about their hot water temperature,” Lisa said, a small frown on her face.
Adrien immediately gave her a reassuring smile. “The temperature’s perfectly fine. It just went down the wrong pipe, that’s all.”
“If you’re sure...”
Adrien assured her that he was fine.
“There’s only five minutes left in your shift, Nicholas.” She looked at her wristwatch. “Why don’t you head out early with your friend?”
Nicholas beamed. “Awesome! Thank you Lisa. I’ll be back two Mondays from now.”
Lisa waved him away, giving one last “Have a good night” to Adrien.
When she was safely out of earshot, Nicholas asked suspiciously, “What did you tell her?”
Adrien raised an eyebrow. “I just went along with your ‘family emergency’ excuse.”
“And now I’m saddled with an ailing grandfather all the way in New York?”
“A grandaunt who’s battling cancer, actually,” Adrien said glibly. “She had been a surrogate grandmother to you, since your own grandmother passed away when you were little.”
Nicholas covered his face. “Both my grandmother and step-grandmother are still alive and kicking, actually,” he muttered through his fingers.
Adrien ignored him. “Grab your stuff. I’m parked across the street.”
“Yes, dear,” Nicholas said, getting into the spirit of things.
*******
Carry-on suitcase in hand, Nicholas followed Adrien toward a black BMW. While it was a nice new model, it was not the flashy car that he expected from someone who could throw ten grand around easily.
He set his suitcase on its side in the pristine trunk and closed the trunk door. “Is your Porsche at home?”
“No, it’s back East with the Jaguar and the Aston Martin,” Adrien said, opening the passenger door and walking around the front of the car to the driver’s side.
Nicholas settled in his seat and put on his seatbelt. “Sometimes I can’t tell whether you’re joking or being serious.”
“The feeling is mutual, I assure you,” Adrien said, checking his rearview mirror. He started the car, and then reached inside his jacket. “Oh, before I forget, here’s the first half of your fee.”
Nicholas accepted the personal check, smiling goofily at all those zeroes.
“I hope you have an account with that bank; it’ll make things easier. Most other banks don’t open until ten a.m.”
Nicholas looked up from the check in his hand. “Hhmm?”
“I’m assuming you want to deposit the money before we fly out tomorrow morning,” Adrien said.
Nicholas blinked at him.
“Oh, right! In case you turn out to be an axe murderer, there would be a paper trail that connect you to the murder!”
“I was thinking that you can verify that I actually have the funds to pay you, but that works too,” Adrien said dryly.
Nicholas slipped the check inside his wallet and tucked it inside his pants. “Sorry, nerves.”
Adrien snorted in disbelief.
*******
Ten minutes later, they drove into the parking garage for a high-rise apartment complex in downtown. When they walked past a baby grand piano in the lounge area, Nicholas figured that the rent for this place must be astronomical.
“Why am I not surprised that you live in a penthouse,” Nicholas said when Adrien pressed the button for the top floor.
Adrien shrugged. “My mother’s family owns this building. I might as well live here.”
“Right, it must be such a hardship for you to have a floor-to-ceiling view of the Bay.”
“How did you know that I have French windows?”
Nicholas manfully did not release a cry of frustration.
“And here we are,” Adrien said, pressing the open button while Nicholas rolled his suitcase onto the lush carpet.
Adrien took out a key from his pants and opened the door to his penthouse. “Home sweet home,” he said, flipping on the central light. He slipped off his socks and shoes and padded barefoot into an alcove. “I’ll put the cakes in the kitchen.”
Nicholas lined up his shoes next to Adrien’s and left his suitcase upright next to a coat stand. He then immediately made a beeline to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.
Right palm pressed against the cool glass, he peered out at the dark vista beyond. “That’s a sweet view of the bay,” he said admiringly.
“The view is spectacular at sunrise and sunset,” said Adrien, who had materialized behind him. “I would give you the five-cent tour of the building’s indoor swimming pool and spa facilities, but they close at nine.”
“You must be the first person I know who have mastered the art of being a flirt and a jerk at the same time,” Nicholas said, turning around to face him.
Adrien gave him a What did I say look, which didn’t fool him one bit.
“How about you give me a tour of our penthouse of iniquity instead?”
Adrien shook his head with a resigned air. “The things that come out of your mouth…”
“I would tell you it’s genetic, but then my dad would start making noises about how they had found me abandoned in the Great Wall Mall toilet.”
“Your sense of humor is hereditary, at least.” Adrien snorted.
“Oh, that one’s my dad’s fault, alright. My mom’s more concerned about preserving my self-worth.”
Adrien muttered that his parents have both clearly succeeded. He ran his hand across the back of a dark leather sofa, which somehow looked inviting and larger-than-life at the same time. “So here’s the receiving area slash living room, where we entertain our twenty-something yuppies guests and the occasional client of mine.”
“How about starving college students who’re looking to score some free alcohol?”
Adrien gave him a stern look. “You don’t look like the frat type to me.”
“Hey, I totally have Cool Asian friends too! I don’t always hang out with the Geek Asians, you know.”
“What is this, high school?” Adrien asked, affecting a bored tone. “At any rate, I don’t want my family to think we hold pot parties here at a regular basis.”
“Oh, fine. So what do I do when my friends hypothetically come over?”
“What do you do when your friends come over?”
“Have dinner, pop in a movie or two…”
“There you go then.” Adrien waved at the large flat screen TV and various gadgets in front of the wall.
Nicholas perked up. “Oh, oh! Do we do couple-y things like having brunch with other couples among our friends?”
Adrien had a disturbed expression on his face.
Nicholas pouted. “You’re a sucky boyfriend.”
“I don’t have any ‘couple-y’ couple among my friends,” Adrien said defensively. “Let’s not make our story needlessly complicated.”
“Right,” Nicholas conceded. “So how did we meet?” He bounced on his feet. “And when did you fall madly in love with me?”
“I wouldn’t go as far as falling madly in love,” Adrien said cagily.
He gestured at their right side. "Over there are the guest bedrooms. I'm using one of them as my office and library."