A 'Smashing' Lunch (Tag: Yang)

Yang wasn't sure entirely what to expect on this "lunch date."  It wasn't like she and Adrien were romantically involved.  There'd probably be no hand-holding or kissing or any of the mushy stuff, although Yang wouldn't mind it.  But, who knew if Adrien felt the same way, and she didn't want to make things awkward.  She'd just have to play it cool.  This was a lunch date to help her feel a little better and make her feel more at ease with being out in public.  Still, she felt like her right arm stood out a lot, and no clothes of hers made it any less conspicuous.  In the end, she decided that people were going to see it no matter what she wore.  The shirt she had on was nice, with a nice bright red color.  She still opted for jeans though, and flats.  Heels would probably just make things more complicated.  Her hair was down, which was about all she could do with it these days.  She was still trying to get the hang of putting her hair in a ponytail with one hand, although she was getting better every day ever since Omar taught her how to do it.  She let out a breath, trying not to feel so antsy.  In the past, she only got like this when she was going into a fight and the outcome wasn't in her favor.  There was a knock at her door, making her heart jump.

"Yang, relax.  It's a lunch date, not an execution," she muttered to herself.  Her resolve steeled at that point as she headed to the front door and opened it.  Adrien was there of course, but she didn't expect to see the purple and white flowers in his hands.  Then again, maybe she should have expected it.  This was Adrien, after all.  "Oh, wow.  You sure like to do things by the book," she teased.  

Yang had to laugh.  Adrien's nervousness was endearing, although she wasn't sure what he was worried about.  They had hung out plenty of times.  This wasn't any different.  Of course, there were stakes tied to it.  Some people might get pissed off if they found out Adrien was hanging out with her.  Yang tried not to think about that though, or she might chicken out.  The last thing she wanted was to make things worse for Adrien, whose home life was already bringing him down.  She didn't want to add to his stress.  Still, the flowers looked nice, and they smelled even better.  "Thanks," she said, taking them into the house really quick and sticking them in a vase.  Usually, they held plastic flowers, but it looked like Yang was finally going to replace them with real ones.  She brushed her hair out of her face as she headed back to the doorway.  "Alrighty, let's rock and roll," she said, hoping she sounded casual.

"Okay, we don't have to get too formal," Yang said, although a smile as still on her face as she took his hand.  It felt warm around hers, and nice.  For lack of a better word, it felt right, although it was still enough to make her cheeks turn a little pink.  She wondered what the two of them would look like to any passerby.  Would they look like a couple?  Or just friends?  She wasn't sure which one she'd like people to assume.  It almost felt like they were together, although they hadn't really confessed any romantic feelings for each other, and Yang wasn't sure if they ever would.  She was scared about what Adrien might say to her, and who knew how he felt.  She didn't want to ruin the relationship they already had.  If she lost him again, she didn't know what she'd do.  

"Ah, deep fried oreos.  A heart attack in every bite," Yang joked.  She kept thinking if maybe she made enough jokes, it would ease the nervousness she felt.  Still, it was hard to feel too anxious with Adrien nearby.  She glanced up when they approached his car, and she noticed it was different from the one he had used to pick her up from the hospital.  "So, you got a car for every occasion or what?" she teased as she got inside.  Every time she made a guess on how loaded Adrien actually was, it seemed like he did something that upped the numbers a bit.  It was a nice car though.  Lots of room and it wasn't too conspicuous.  It seemed like most people pictured families like the Agrestes running around in limos all the time.  Maybe this would throw them off the trail.

Adrien replied casually, although Yang wondered if her joke got to him.  He knew his money was something he was self-conscious about, mainly because most people liked him for that reason only.  Maybe she could say something that would put him at ease.  She was quiet for a moment before she said "Well, I guess that's nice, but not quite as important as the person driving."  The car didn't matter much.  If Adrien was the one behind the wheel, then she was all for it.  When he asked her if anything exciting had happened lately, she gave a shrug.  "People have come to visit every so often.  That's about it," she said.  And usually, they came with some kind of gift or another, especially Jane and Omar.  She still had a ton of their sweets sitting in her kitchen.  Yang appreciated that they were thinking of them, but she just hoped that they didn't have to feel like they had to see her.  She didn't want them to feel like they had an obligation to her, or guilty if they hadn't seen her in a while.  Their lives couldn't revolve around her.  It was a complicated feeling.

Adrien didn't say anything in response to that, although he did smile.  That was good enough for Yang.  It seemed like her arm and his money were equally sensitive topics for the both of them.  She and Adrien treaded lightly when it came to those things.  Who knew if they could ever reach a point where they could talk about that stuff freely.  Yang wasn't even sure if she wanted to.  Most of the time, she avoided bringing up her arm herself.  It was usually others who addressed it, assuring her that she needed to take her time when it came to healing and that she'd get used to it as more time passed.  Yang wasn't sure if she ever would get used to it, but she did have to admit that it was becoming more normal for her every day.  It was just part of who she was now, and she had to deal with it.  She was brought out of her thoughts when Adrien mentioned being booked for a last minute photo shoot.  Mr. Agreste sure did like to show off his son's face.  It seemed like new photos of Adrien were in magazines all the time.  "Let me guess: cardboard beach set, fake sunlight, and people running around in all sorts of swimwear, right?" she asked.  That was what came to mind when she thought of summer photo shoots.  The guys always had rock-hard abs and the girls somehow managed to look tan, despite some of them not being suited for it.  Maybe magic was involved.  People could change how they looked all the time with a certain spells, although the effects usually weren't permanent.

"Don't you look good in everything?" Yang teased back.  She'd never admit it out loud, but Adrien did seem to be able to pull off whatever he was wearing, whether it was casual clothes or his Chat Noir suit.  Yang wasn't sure if she'd be able to look good in anything anymore.  She hadn't exactly been vain in the past, but she knew she looked good enough where she could use her appearance to get things she wanted.  She doubted she'd be able to pull that off now.  She glanced up as Adrien said they had arrived.  The restaurant looked average, in between five-star and fast food.  It didn't seem to be terribly crowded either, which put her at ease.  Maybe she could handle this.  She gave Adrien a smile.  "This looks nice," she said.