Zane stared at his phone for a long time before typing anything.
The room was dark except for the faint glow of the screen reflecting against his face. His apartment was silent, the city outside reduced to distant traffic and the occasional echo of a car passing below.
His thumb hovered over the keyboard.
Delete.
Type again.
Delete.
He had been doing this for almost twenty minutes.
Dante's words still rang in his head.
"Tell Adrien I said hi… I wonder if he still looks that good up close."
Zane clenched his jaw.
That smirk.
The way Dante had leaned in when he whispered it.
The cameras flashing around them.
It made his stomach twist.
Finally, he typed.
Do you uhm know Dante?
He stared at the message for another full minute before pressing send.
The moment it left his phone, regret hit him instantly.
"Idiot," he muttered, dragging a hand down his face.
It was 1:03 AM.
Adrien was probably asleep.
Why would he even answer?
Zane tossed the phone onto the bed and laid back, staring at the ceiling.
Three seconds later the phone buzzed.
He sat up immediately.
Adrien.
Uhm yeah 🤨?
Everyone does?
Zane blinked at the screen.
He actually answered.
Zane sat up straighter, fingers moving fast.
No like… know him personally
The typing bubble appeared almost immediately.
Then vanished.
Then appeared again.
Zane felt weirdly tense waiting for the reply.
Finally—
Not really
Our moms know each other though
But I never really talked to him for more than a minute or something
Zane's chest tightened.
Our moms know each other.
So their families were close.
That meant Dante had probably seen Adrien a lot growing up.
Had talked to him.
Had been around him.
Zane's jaw clenched.
He imagined Dante standing too close to Adrien.
Smirking like he did earlier.
The thought made something hot coil in his chest.
Jealousy.
Heavy and irrational.
Zane exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down.
He decided not to mention what Dante said earlier.
Adrien didn't need to hear that.
The phone buzzed again.
Why do you ask?
Zane's heart jumped.
Panic.
He typed quickly.
Oh nothing just curious
He hit send.
Then waited.
And waited.
The typing bubble didn't appear.
Thirty seconds passed.
A minute.
Two minutes.
Zane stared at the chat like it had personally betrayed him.
Did that sound suspicious?
Did Adrien think he was weird?
His stomach twisted again.
Before he could stop himself, he typed another message.
Then another.
Then another.
Can I come over?
He sent it.
Immediately after, regret crashed into him.
It was literally past one in the morning.
He rubbed his face tiredly.
You're losing your mind.
The phone buzzed again.
No
Zane blinked.
Then the rest of the message appeared.
Ji-Won is already here
You can't really come
Something inside his chest dropped.
A sharp, uncomfortable feeling spread through him.
Ji-Won.
Of course.
His girlfriend.
Zane swallowed.
Before he could stop himself, he typed again.
Why is she there
The moment he sent it he realized how that sounded.
Possessive.
Irritated.
Controlling.
Adrien replied almost instantly.
Well she's my girlfriend so.. 😐
Zane closed his eyes.
Right.
His bad.
He typed slowly this time.
Right.. my bad
No reply came after that.
Across the city, Adrien set his phone down on the bedside table.
Ji-Won shifted beside him, half asleep.
"You're still on your phone?" she murmured, eyes barely open.
Adrien sighed quietly.
"Yeah."
She nudged his shoulder.
"Sleep."
He looked at the phone one more time.
No new messages.
So he locked the screen and placed it down.
"Okay," he said.
Within minutes Ji-Won was asleep again.
Adrien stared at the ceiling for a while before eventually closing his eyes too.
The Next Morning
Sunlight slipped through the curtains.
Adrien groaned softly as he woke up.
Ji-Won was already sitting up beside him, scrolling through her phone.
"Morning," she said.
Adrien rubbed his eyes.
"What time is it?"
"Seven."
He reached for his phone automatically.
Four notifications.
All from Zane.
Adrien blinked.
sorry if i sounded weird yesterday
I am so sorry
are you mad?
Adrien?
Adrien stared at the messages.
Then he smiled faintly.
It was small.
Barely noticeable.
But it was there.
He typed back.
I'm not angry Zane don't worry
Across the city, Zane's phone buzzed on the kitchen counter.
He rushed to grab it immediately.
The moment he read the message, relief washed through him so strongly he laughed quietly.
"Thank God…"
He ran a hand through his messy hair.
He had barely slept.
But suddenly he felt lighter.
Back in Adrien's room, Ji-Won stretched.
"We should get ready."
Adrien nodded and stood up.
She looked toward the bathroom.
"Let's shower."
Adrien immediately shook his head.
"I'll go first."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You're boring."
He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah."
He grabbed a towel and disappeared into the bathroom before she could argue more.
Their driver was already waiting outside.
Adrien and Ji-Won slid into the backseat.
The car pulled away smoothly.
Adrien checked his phone again.
A message from Zane.
I have a match today
2pm
Adrien typed back.
Good luck
Zane replied instantly.
You gonna watch?
Adrien smirked slightly.
Maybe
The typing bubble appeared immediately again.
Please watch
Adrien chuckled quietly.
Ji-Won glanced at him.
"What's funny?"
"Nothing."
He locked his phone and looked out the window.
Meanwhile — At The Gym
Zane arrived earlier than usual.
The gym smelled like rubber mats and disinfectant.
Familiar.
Comfortable.
He dropped his bag near the locker area and started stretching.
Today's opponent was easy.
A beginner fighter.
Someone Zane had already beaten once before.
Still, he focused on warming up properly.
Push-ups.
Shadowboxing.
Stretching his shoulders.
Between exercises he kept checking his phone.
A message from Adrien popped up.
I'll watch
Zane grinned.
"Focus."
His coach's voice cut through his thoughts.
Zane straightened.
"Yes coach."
"Drink water."
Zane grabbed a bottle and took a long sip.
Protein shake next.
Then more stretching.
But his attention kept drifting back to his phone.
Finally his coach sighed.
"You're distracted today."
Zane scratched the back of his neck.
"Sorry."
"Fight first," the coach said firmly. "Phone later."
Zane nodded.
He set the phone down on the bench and forced himself to focus.
School Library — 2:05 PM
Adrien sat at a quiet table near the window.
His phone rested on a stack of textbooks.
The live stream of the fight played quietly on the screen.
A few students nearby were watching too.
Zane stepped into the ring.
Adrien leaned his chin on his hand.
Zane looked calm.
Confident.
Like he belonged there.
The announcer's voice echoed through the speakers.
Round one started.
Zane moved fast.
His footwork was sharp, controlled.
The opponent tried to rush him early but Zane dodged easily.
A clean punch landed.
Then another.
Adrien's lips curved slightly.
"Predictable," he murmured.
The fight didn't last long.
By round two Zane had complete control.
One final strike sent the other fighter stumbling.
The referee stepped in.
Fight over.
Zane won.
Students around Adrien murmured excitedly.
Adrien looked down at his phone.
He typed.
Congratulations 😏
At the gym, Zane checked his phone the moment the fight ended.
When he saw the message, his ears turned red.
He smiled like an idiot.
His teammates immediately noticed.
"What?" one of them said.
Zane shook his head quickly.
"Nothing."
But he was already typing.
Did you actually watch?
Adrien replied.
Yeah
You looked cool
Zane read the message three times.
His grin widened.
Then he hesitated before typing again.
Can I come over tonight?
He stared at the message before sending it.
Across the city, Adrien sat back in his chair.
His thumb hovered over the keyboard.
Ji-Won was somewhere in the cafeteria with friends.
The library was quiet.
He thought about last night.
About Zane's messages.
About the way he always answered instantly.
Adrien bit his lower lip.
Then he typed.
Yeah sure
Zane almost dropped his phone when the message appeared.
"Seriously?" he whispered.
His teammates looked at him like he was insane.
Zane quickly grabbed his gym bag.
"Coach I'm leaving early."
The coach raised an eyebrow.
"You just finished."
"Yeah but—"
Zane stopped himself.
"…I have plans."
The coach chuckled.
"Go."
Zane was already halfway to the door.
Back in the library, Adrien stared at the chat.
He wasn't sure why he said yes.
Maybe curiosity.
Maybe boredom.
Or maybe something else he didn't want to think about.
He locked his phone and leaned back in his chair.
Outside the window, the afternoon sun lit the campus.
And somewhere across the city, Zane was already counting the hours until he could see him again.