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People like Lawrence Mundy weren’t supposed to go to prom.
He wasn’t meant for it, didn’t have the enthusiasm or tuxedo suit or mildly enjoyable personality to even consider going. But after the copious hints that Adrien had been dropping on his head all month, Lawrence didn’t have much of a choice but to go up to that dreaded ASB window and order two overpriced tickets.
Adrien Dupont, however, was definitely the type to go to prom. Extroverted, flirtatious, and extravagant to the point where just eating next to him made Lawrence feel like a caveman. Why he agreed to go to prom with him despite all this, Lawrence would never know. However, as his parents said when he got home, if someone as popular as Adrien was willing to be seen with the "loner kid” at their school’s annual end-of-the-year dance, it would be foolish not to accept.
So one trip to the tailor and many tuxedo fittings later (plus a session in between with his father on the importance of consent), Lawrence found himself on the welcome mat of Adrien’s ridiculously large house, ringing the doorbell with a shaky hand. His fingers wrapped tightly around the roses at his side, the thorns threatening to poke through the plastic wrapper.
What was actually just a few seconds felt like forever before Adrien opened the door.
“Good, you’re here.” He pushed it open wider, stepping outside. “I was afraid you were going to cancel on me.”
He was clad in a perfectly fitted tuxedo, no doubt taken right out of his closet instead of bought hastily at their local boutique like Lawrence’s. His hair was slicked back, and his tie was neatly made, complimenting his impeccable appearance and confirming to Lawrence that he was way out of his league. Still, he tried his best to smile, holding out the bouquet.
“Yeah, I would’ve been here sooner, but I had to get these for you. Hope you’re not allergic.”
“I’m not.” Adrien carefully took the roses from him, raising the flowers to his nose and smelling them. He looked back up at Lawrence with a smile. “I’m glad you showed up. I know that you didn’t want to go to begin with.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Lawrence lied, about to shove a hand into his pocket before remembering that it would wrinkle his pants, and he settled for awkwardly fiddling with the sleeve of his jacket. “I like goin’ to dances sometimes. Just wish the suits weren’t so tight.”
He decided it wasn’t too relevant to mention that this was the first dance he’d been to during his entire time in high school, and perhaps his entire life.
“I think you look fine.” Adrien took one of the roses from the bunch. “Do you mind?”
“Huh?” he asked eloquently. Adrien rolled his eyes, snapping off the rose from its stem, and Lawrence quickly understood. “Oh, sure, go ahead.”
Adrien leaned forward, securing the makeshift boutonnière on the lapel of his suit. Lawrence did his best not to wince as the thorns pressed painfully against the thin fabric and onto his skin.
“Much better.” He reached back into the house, setting the bouquet on the shelf by the door. “My parents let us use the car for tonight, so-“
“Wait, what? I thought we were takin’ my van.”
“You drive a van?” Adrien asked, the final syllable reverberating throughout the empty street. Lawrence stepped to the side to show him the camper van he had driven up to his house, and Adrien took a step back like he had just been punched in the stomach.
“Absolutely not.” There was an offended expression on his face. “It looks a decade old-“
“Dad cleaned it last week,” he insisted.
“-and I would rather drive there in a hearse.” Adrien straightened out his suit, marching over to the driveway. “You’re taking us there in our car, not that ancient relic you call a van.”
“So, I’m just gonna leave it out here?” Lawrence gestured wildly to his vehicle, parked on the side of the road and just waiting to be hijacked. “Someone might break in!”
“Then you’ll lock the doors. We have security cameras across the property.” He tossed him the keys. “Although if the museum decided to visit tonight and claim their missing artifact for their new “Evolution of Transportation” wing, I wouldn’t stop them.”
“Wow.” Lawrence shook his head, clicking the button to open up the garage.
-
Adrien’s car was way too fancy to drive. Lawrence had absolutely no right to be behind the wheel of a goddamn Lamborghini , but after Adrien compared his own vehicle to the main operation of a human trafficking ring, he guessed taking his van was out of the question.
Then again, it was probably the better choice, because many of the students started whispering excitedly as they pulled up to the school. Once they stepped out of the car, Adrien’s admirers smiled and waved in their direction, making Lawrence subconsciously hide himself behind the subject of their attention.
“Stop that.” Adrien grabbed his arm, tugging him forward so they were walking side-by-side. “You don’t have to pay attention to them.”
“Hard not to,” he muttered. “‘Specially when I’m the one next to you and not them.”
Adrien hummed in understanding. “Fair enough. But at the very least, you could present yourself better.”
“I don’t need to-“ Just then, Lawrence tripped over a crack in the pavement. He quickly regained his footing before he could fall, straightening up and brushing his suit off. Adrien snorted quietly at the scene.
“Shut up,” Lawrence hissed.
“Why?” There was a grin on his face. “Is it a crime to laugh?”
“Yeah, when it’s at my expense.”
Adrien laughed again, and Lawrence sighed, pulling out the tickets from his pocket and handing them to the woman at the front.
-
“You’re not eating?” Adrien asked as he sat next to him, setting down a plate of chicken parmesan on the table.
“Yeah, no thanks.” Lawrence tapped his fingers against his glass awkwardly. “I…I ate on the way here.”
“Does that mean you plan on spending three hours playing with that glass of water?”
Lawrence’s fingers paused, and he looked down at his hands. “…No.”
Adrien scoffed, standing up from the table. “You’re a horrible liar. Just come with me and you can order from the counter-“
“No!” he exclaimed suddenly, then at Adrien’s suspicious stare, he cleared his throat. “Uh, I mean, no thanks. I think I’ll just get a drink or something.” Lawrence pushed back his chair, ready to leave when a slim hand grabbed his arm and prevented his escape.
“What’s wrong?” Adrien asked, his tone serious enough to make Lawrence gulp and look away.
“So…when I was payin’, I figured the food came with buying the ticket, and-“
“Oh, my God…” Adrien raised a hand to his face.
“-I left my wallet at home so it wouldn’t get stolen,” he finished, shrinking into himself.
“What were you thinking? Do you know how expensive these events can be? This meal by itself was thirty dollars!”
“Exactly!” Lawrence threw his hands up. “So that’s why I’m not gonna eat! I mean, unless you think I can pay in breath mints.”
Adrien groaned, rubbing his face. “I’ll pay. Better that than listening to your stomach complaining for the rest of the evening.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Shut up and follow me.” Adrien grabbed his sleeve, pulling him away from their table. “They’re almost about to serve dessert, and I’d rather not let Jeremy and his friends finish it off before we even get back.”
“Can’t I just ask one of the other tables?” Lawrence suggested. “Some of them might not’ve finished their breadsticks yet.”
Adrien didn’t reply, instead dragging him over to the counter where they were serving food while muttering something about being “hopeless” with “no dignity.”
-
Lawrence was honestly glad that Adrien had forced him to eat, especially when he returned to the table with a large serving of spaghetti, and not even ten minutes later, he was sitting in front of an empty plate with a full stomach.
“I told you.” Adrien handed him a napkin, which he used to wipe his face with. “And to think you wanted to starve yourself in a place like this.”
“I can’t believe it, either.” Lawrence glanced around the massive hall, which their school had somehow gained enough money to rent for the night. The roof was replaced with a large glass dome, but lanterns were strung along the support beam, giving the appearance of a starry night. The tables were arranged in a circle, surrounding a wide wooden space occupied by dancing couples or groups of friends. On the walls, installed speakers were playing a soft love song that Lawrence vaguely recognized from listening to the radio.
“Should we dance?” Adrien offered, standing up.
Lawrence felt the spaghetti rise back up in his throat.
“Isn’t it kind of early for that?” He laughed nervously. “I mean, I figured we could just sit and talk. At least, until they play a good song.”
“I do wish they played something not by Ed Sheeran or Mariah Carey,” he agreed. “But if we’re here, we may as well make good use of our time.”
“Yeah, no thanks.” Lawrence reached over, blindly grabbing any item of food his hands could find, which turned out to be a plate of half-eaten frosted Walmart cookies. “You can go ahead, I’m just gonna finish up.”
“If you honestly think I’m going to dance by myself like a fool…” Then Adrien seemed to realize something, narrowing his eyes.
“You do know how to dance, don’t you?”
Lawrence did his best to scoff despite the sudden dryness in his throat. “Course I do. I’m here, aren’t I?”
Adrien folded his arms, unconvinced.
“You don’t know how to dance.”
“Nope,” he sighed, making Adrien scoff, shaking his head.
“Unbelievable.”
“Look, I tried to learn, alright?” Lawrence stood up. “‘S not my fault I’ve got two left feet.”
“There’s no such thing as a bad dancer; you just haven’t taken the time to practice.”
“Yeah, I haven’t. So I’m not goin’ out there and makin’ a bloody idiot out of myself.” He reached for his soda can. “You go. I’m staying here.”
Adrien scowled at him. “Leave it to you to not dance at a school dance.”
“I’m not stoppin’ you.” He sat back down, taking a long sip from his half-empty Cola. Adrien shot him one last glare before walking away. Only when Lawrence was sure he was out of sight did he sigh again, staring glumly into his drink.
-
“Dude, he tried to pick you up in a camper van?”
Lawrence eventually came back after a short bathroom break and a not-so-short pep talk in the mirror. Adrien was sitting down, and a guy with his arm slung around a girl wearing a gaudy dress, which he vaguely recognized as Jeremy Brown and his girlfriend, were next to him, occupying the rest of the space on the table. Their voices were loud and demeaning, reaching his burning ears perfectly.
“I know,” Adrien sighed, likely still unaware of his return. His back was to Lawrence. “Of all the vehicles at his disposal, he wanted to take one that made him look like a criminal…I’m glad I refused before he could make me look like some sort of drifter.”
A slight pang of guilt hit Lawrence’s chest.
“Why weren’t you two out there when they started playing the music?” the girl questioned.
“Because he can’t dance,” Adrien scoffed, folding his arms across the table. “Perhaps if I considered attending with someone who could, I’d be having a much more pleasant time here right now.” Jeremy and his girlfriend responded with laughter.
That brief pang of guilt quickly swelled into a wave, and Lawrence found himself coming up to the table. The trio quickly quieted down upon noticing his presence. Adrien’s resentful expression faded, replaced with one of shock.
“You guys are talking about me?”
Jeremy was the first to recover from the awkward beat of silence, and he snickered.
“So what?” he grinned, leaning back against the chair. “You’re the who’s been pretendin’ to piss for ten whole minutes.” At that, his girlfriend let out a snort, which she quickly covered up by clearing her throat.
“Jeremy,” Adrien started. “That’s enough.”
“Hell no, not yet. Here, watch this.” Jeremy suddenly stood up, grabbing Lawrence’s shoulder with a good-natured smile that he immediately didn't trust. “Hey, man, I was just kidding. I actually think you're a pretty cool guy.” He leaned in, preventing him from seeing the soda can he was discreetly grabbing from the table.
Lawrence was immediately greeted by a long stream of cherry soda, which soaked the lapels of his suit and the white of his collared shirt with a visible red stain. His girlfriend (that damn bitch) burst into laughter, slapping the table hard. Jeremy let the can drop to the ground with a smug grin, like he had just scored a home run, and Adrien was watching from the side, his lips pressed tightly together.
“See that? I told you, this guy is such a mess.” Jeremy shoved Lawrence backwards, making him stumble. “Doesn’t even know what to say. You’re lucky Adrien even bothered lookin’ in your direction tonight.”
Lawrence did his best not to look down at his shirt, now drenched in a quickly-drying red blotch. He was tempted to defend himself, to say that he didn’t care what they thought or that he honestly couldn’t care less if they stained his cheap, straight-from-the-rack suit.
…But he couldn’t. Because everything he said was true. He did screw up. He was a mess. And if Adrien went with anyone else besides him tonight, maybe he’d be having a good time right now.
Maybe Lawrence wouldn’t have ruined everything.
Lawrence didn’t say a word. He reached past them and over to the table, taking the large stack of napkins.
“What now?” Jeremy laughed. “You gonna head back to the bathroom?”
“I’m goin’ home,” he muttered. As he was stuffing the napkins into his jacket, he saw Adrien in the corner of his vision standing up with a concerned look on his face.
“…You’re leaving?” His voice was barely above the sound of the music booming above their heads. The waver in his tone almost made him sound like he felt guilty, which he knew better than to believe. Lawrence replied by raising a hand to his suit, yanking out the boutonnière and throwing it onto the table.
“Yeah. You’re welcome.” He tried for a sarcastic tone, but his heart wasn’t in it. So instead Lawrence shoved his hands into his pockets, not caring one bit if his pants and shirt got wrinkled from the action. “Have fun.”
Jeremy and his girlfriend’s laughter followed Lawrence’s ears all the way to the exit. He tried to ignore it, increasing his pace. Though he couldn’t see it, Adrien had pushed back his chair and began to follow him out the room.
-
Lawrence was already walking down the parking lot when he heard footsteps behind him.
“What are you doing?” Adrien demanded.
So close.
“What’s it look like?” Lawrence glanced back at him. “Didn’t wanna drive away with your Dad’s car and leave you here without a ride, so I’m walkin’.”
“Why?”
He scoffed in disbelief. “Quit that shit out. You an’ I both know you don’t want me here.” He kept walking. To his frustration, Adrien continued to follow him, and soon, he was standing in between him and his escape.
“I do want you here,” he said softly.
“Then why’d you say that?” Lawrence snapped. “Why’d you say I made you look like a criminal? Why’d you laugh in my face and tell me I was an idiot ?” He emphasized his last forward by stepping up to Adrien, who flinched and looked up at him with fright in his eyes. Lawrence’s anger shifted into resignation, and he exhaled.
“You don’t haveta answer that. Least now you can have fun instead of draggin’ this dead weight around the whole night.” Lawrence pushed past him and made his way out of the parking lot. He was halfway to the sidewalk when Adrien finally spoke up, much louder.
“Because I was embarrassed!”
Lawrence sighed angrily. “Yeah, I know, you were embarrassed by me-“
“I was embarrassed for myself!”
He stopped walking. Stunned, Lawrence turned back around to face Adrien, whose face was flushed red and his fists clenched at his sides.
“…What do you mean?” he asked. Adrien took a deep breath then began to explain.
“I…I was nervous about tonight. I was never able to hold a relationship with someone for very long, so I suppose the experience of them all leaving made me…defensive. And I didn’t want you to leave, either, so I told you those things because I didn’t want you to believe I was…weak.” Then, looking down at the ground, he said quieter, “I’m sorry.”
Lawrence stared at him in awkward silence.
“…Oh.”
After some hesitation, he tentatively took a step towards him. Then another. And another. Soon enough, he was standing in front of Adrien (the Adrien Dupont, ASB secretary with a full scholarship to Teufort University and the third highest GPA in 12th grade), who was actively refusing to meet his gaze.
“You…You know I don’t care about if you mess up or anything, right?” Lawrence carefully extended his hand, cupping Adrien’s wrist. “I’d still like you anyway.”
Adrien looked up at him with an uncertain look in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Sure.” Lawrence smiled awkwardly. “I mean, you weren’t as much of a knobhead like I was, so you probably couldn’t do worse than me.”
“You weren’t,” Adrien insisted, clasping Lawrence’s hand tightly. “I just didn’t want you to think the same of me. You’re not an embarrassment, and you didn’t ruin anything, either.” He looked back down. “I did.”
Lawrence laughed a little. “Maybe we both ruined it a little.”
Adrien managed a snort. “Perhaps so. But at least I’m not the one covered in cherry soda.” He ran his fingers along the seam of Lawrence’s shirt, feeling the dampness still lingering on the fabric.
“Hey, for once, that wasn’t on me. You can blame that bastard of a friend you’ve got.”
“Who, Jeremy?” Adrien made a disgusted face. “I’ve known him for years, but I can hardly call him a friend. Especially after he insulted my date so harshly.”
Lawrence felt his face grow hot.
“Your date?” he repeated.
Adrien coughed sharply, pulling away his hands.
“What I mean is, if you agreed to attend at my side, then by label, you certainly are.“ He cleared his throat, reaching into his jacket. “That is, if you’re still willing to come back with me.”
Adrien held out the abandoned boutonnière to him. His eyes were shifting between his feet and Lawrence, like he was worried about his response. Feeling his anxieties fade, Lawrence took the boutonnière and secured it back onto his suit, a little clumsier than if Adrien had done it.
“Promise you’re not gonna regret bringin’ me back?” he asked with a smile, which Adrien returned.
“I haven’t regretted a single moment of this night. Not to mention…” He took his hand again. “We’re just here to have fun, aren’t we?”
Lawrence smiled, squeezing his palm as they made their way back to the dance.
-
Lawrence glanced at the center of the floor, which was once empty but now occupied by what seemed to be a thousand people, dancing the evening away. He squeezed Adrien’s shoulder, making him look at him curiously.
“Hey, you wanna get out there?” Lawrence pointed at the crowd.
“I thought you didn’t want to,” Adrien said with a frown.
“Yeah, but now that I know you’re not gonna laugh me off if I mess up, I might as well.” He offered him a grin. “Besides, I think I owe you a dance.”
“If you insist.” Adrien led them over to the edge of the dance floor. “But I take it that you still don’t know how, so I’m going to be the one to teach you.”
“Alright. So, are you gonna show me, and I’m s’posed to watch, or-?”
A smirk grew on Adrien’s face, and before he could ask what it was for, he yanked on his wrist, and suddenly Lawrence was chest-to-chest with him, standing in the middle of the action.
“Wait, what the hell are you doing?” he stammered, his heartbeat growing two times faster.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Adrien laid a palm on his chest to adjust their distance. “The best way to learn is on your feet.”
“Yeah, at home, not in the middle of bloody prom!”
“You’ll do fine.” Adrien moved his hand so it was resting on Lawrence’s shoulder. “It’s a basic waltz.”
“Basic to you,” he retorted.
“Stop complaining.” He took his other hand, raising it in the air. “You’ll be leading, so you need to mirror my movements.”
Lawrence swallowed but nodded tentatively. Adrien proceeded to walk him through the different moves of a box waltz, frequently reminding him to keep his feet at hip distance and his arms relaxed. He expected his tone to be stern and condescending whenever he’d make a mistake, similar to the way he criticized Lawrence earlier. To his surprise, Adrien’s voice was much gentler, instructing him thoroughly but kindly and even offering a few words of encouragement every now and then.
Adrien smiled as Lawrence began to follow along with his steps, his feet slightly less clumsy and his palms much less sweatier than they were a few minutes ago. “You learn fast.”
“Thanks.” Lawrence smiled back. “I had a great teacher.”
“And I have an even better date,” Adrien cooed.
“A date who’s covered in soda.”
“Who cares?” He withdrew his hand, reaching up to wipe off a sticky drop of cherry cola off the side of his face. “You look good anyway.”
“Jeremy doesn’t seem to think that.” Lawrence used their intertwined fingers to point in the direction of Jeremy and his girlfriend, who were still sitting at their table with angry expressions. Adrien noticed, letting out a snort and covering it up with his hand before returning it to his shoulder.
“Thank you again for coming back.” His eyes shyly met Lawrence’s. “I couldn’t imagine doing this without you.”
“You could,” Lawrence gave him a teasing grin, “but doin’ a waltz by yourself would probably look weird.”
They laughed in unison.
“But honestly, me too.” He pulled their intertwined hands closer to their body. “I know I’m not the best person to go to prom with.”
“You are. It just took me some time to realize that. Even if you are a bit rough around the edges.” Adrien trailed his fingers down the stain on his shirt.
“I'd say more than a 'bit rough.' Wouldn’t be surprised if you were used to all this fancy shit.”
“I am, but it isn’t easy,” he pointed out. “It took some time for me to learn how to dance. I remember tripping over my own feet in Madame Blanchet’s studio every time I attended class.”
“So the great Adrien Dupont actually has an embarrassing childhood?” Lawrence teased. Adrien’s face turned red, and he looked to the side.
“Hey, wait, I was joking, alright?” He gently cupped his chin, guiding his gaze to his own with a hesitant smile. “It’s kinda cute, actually.”
Adrien’s eyes widened in surprise before he sharply cleared his throat.
“Thank you,” he muttered, his cheeks still red.
They continued dancing for a while longer. Lawrence could tell he was being given more than a few derogatory glances and staredowns. But he found he didn’t mind as much as he would have before, and rather than focusing on their side comments and deriding laughter, Lawrence found himself comfortably distracted by the warmth in Adrien’s gaze, his cool breath hitting his lips every time he was pressed close to his chest. The humiliation from earlier had dissolved, replaced with a carefree grin that was difficult for Lawrence to wipe off his face.
“I have to admit…” Adrien started, slowing down their pace. “When I first arrived, there were many things I was looking forward to tonight.”
“You did?” Lawrence paused his movements.
“I did. However…” Adrien leaned up, their noses almost touching.
“I think I enjoy being with you the most.”
Before Lawrence could ask what he meant, Adrien closed the distance between them, and he was greeted with the soothing flavor of mint. Regaining his composure, he eventually kissed back, letting their intertwined hands fall to their sides. Their mouths moved together in a clumsy rhythm, indicating that they both lacked the experience and confidence for a proper first kiss.
But when they finally pulled away with timid smiles on their faces, they realized they didn’t have a care in the world.