Work Text:
“So? Tell us what happened! How did you two start liking each other?” Rose asked them, her hands curled against her face in glee.
Alya pointed a thumb to her boyfriend next to her. “When Animan set the whole zoo loose, I found Nino hiding up a tree and couldn’t get down when the birds were attacking him. I helped distract them with my popcorn and when he fell out of the tree, I caught him,” she snickered as Nino gave her a feigned glare of embarrassment.
“We both sprained something in the fall and had to help each other hobble away to safety,” Nino butted in, nudging Alya while still returning to the comic book in his hands.
“Let me be a hero for one moment.”
“Never said you weren’t,” Nino gave her a wink.
———
“You never did tell me what happened that day. I really was hoping it could become a double date for us when Nino told me he liked you.”
Marinette spun in a circle in her computer chair, reconnecting eyes with Alya once she slowed to a stop.
“You don’t even know the half of it. Nino actually was trying to ask you on a date to the zoo, but he panicked and said my name instead,” Alya revealed, grinning deviously.
“What?!”
Thud. Marinette leaned forward too quickly and fell out of her chair.
“Sorry girl,” Alya helped her best friend back up. “It’s true. It’s just funny how things worked out.”
Marinette rubbed her side that took the fall. “How does that even happen? You two were so close after the akuma was defeated.”
Alya shrugged. “Ladybug locked us in a cage. We had a lot of time to find stuff in common.”
————
“How did you meet Flyweight here anyway?”
Alya brought Nino over to meet her family, but of course overprotective Nora wasn’t as accepting as her parents.
“We’re classmates, so we were already friends. Remember that day dad was akumatized? I was at the zoo with all my friends.”
Nora’s expression didn’t soften. She crossed her arms.
“And?”
Nino took Alya’s hand. They shared a look, easing each other’s nerves with a smile.
“I found a place to hide and keep us safe. So we hid and just kept each other company till it was safe. I wanted to protect her.”
Nino squeezed Alya’s hand.
“I’d fight off an army of pumas if I had to,” he said in total seriousness.
Nora burst out in laughter.
“Hah! I’d like to see you try. I’ll still be keeping an eye on you. But, I can appreciate that you helped her out and I like your guts, so you get a pass for now.”
———
“You want to know how me and Alya got so close?” Nino asked, surprised that his best friend was asking for girl advice.
“I haven’t had luck with the girl I like, I told you that,” Adrien grumbled into his book.
Right, he always said ‘the girl I like’. Nino didn’t mind that Adrien kept it a secret, but he had a strong feeling who the model was referring to.
“It’s chill dude. Of course you can ask me, it’s just I don’t think I did anything different. I was just being myself.”
“Just that?”
“She was in trouble, I helped her. Not really any different than when you came to school and I made friends with you.”
“That’s because you’re the coolest.” Adrien nudged Nino’s side.
“I know, but so are you. You’ll get your girl someday. She just needs to see how cool you are too,” Nino said, putting his arm around Adrien’s shoulder. “There’s no secret to it, if you’re both in sync then it just happens.”
———
Hero’s Day was saved, but Hawkmoth got away. They returned their miraculouses to Ladybug and were wandering around the festivities. It was weird, trying to go back to a normal day as if nothing happened.
So they found their way to Andre’s ice cream cart, which happened to be in the zoo that day.
Orange sherbert, strawberry, and caramel for Nino, and pistachio, cherry, and blue raspberry for Alya. They couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden new flavors and found a place to sit.
“Tell me how we met again?” Alya asked to break the silence.
“Ladybug tossed us in that cage. It was kind of awkward when you told me you heard what I told Marinette. I had to tell you I lied to her.”
“I was so freaked out that my dad was akumatized, just trying to find out what was going on by watching the news feed.”
“Your phone was dying, and you didn’t know what to do with yourself.”
“So you tried to calm me down and shared some music you were working on. You kept talking about everything and anything to keep me distracted.”
“I only had my headphones so it was hard for us to listen at the same time, but we made it work.”
“You’re always great at that, taking care of me. Even when an akuma is involved,” Alya laughed, “You stayed with me when I was zombified by Zombizou. We have each other’s backs.”
“I can’t stop you from doing the same, can I? You really scared me earlier when you took that hit for me.”
“I’d still do it a million times if there was no other way. And I know you would too. We're a team, and a good one at that.”
Nino sighed in resignation.
“Yeah, you’re right. I wasn’t lying when I told Nora I’d fight an army of pumas for you.”
“And you fought her akuma for me too, that’s even scarier!”
Alya leaned on Nino’s shoulder and sighed. Nino put his arm around her. They sat there like that for a moment, until Alya leaned in closer.
...and took a huge bite out of his melting ice cream in his other hand.
“Hey!”
“You left yourself wide open, turtle boy. I thought you were all about defense?”
Alya pulled back her own ice cream to protect it when Nino leaned in.
The kiss he stole from her instead was sweeter anyway.