Work Text:
I wish I could do better by you
'Cause that's what you deserve
You sacrifice so much of your life
In order for this to work
While I'm off chasing my own dreams
Sailing around the world
Please, know that I'm yours to keep
My beautiful girl
-The Girl by City and Colour
Nino hummed contentedly while walking down the street, hand in hand with his girlfriend. It had been so long since they had gone on any kind of date that was just about them. They weren’t trying to set up Adrien and Marinette, and they weren’t watching the twins and Noel. It was just them, and it was long overdue. Of course, Nino knew today would have to be a little different, a little special. It was their anniversary, after all. And even if they had said there was no need for gifts, he wanted to show Alya how much he valued her and her time. Of course, he also had gotten her something small, but that was beside the point.
He'd been craving this kind of quality time. Things had just been so hectic, between various projects and tests at school, their responsibilities at home, and their part-time super-heroing. Not to mention, of course, that they were both trying to figure out how to best chase their dreams. They had agreed, no work. No trying to figure out how to compose the next hit song, or what would be the best way to write a cutting edge article. Just them, delicious food, and maybe some ice cream.
They walked up to the cafe that Nino had scoped out for them. It was supposed to be a nice place that would fit a university student’s budget. He had reserved an outdoor table so they could enjoy the crisp April air. They were escorted from the door to their table by a very welcoming host. Yes, everything was going along nicely.
“Dang, Nino, you really wanted to go all out,” Alya teased after they had been seated.
“I wanted to do something special for you today, Babe,” Nino smiled.
“Well, thank you.”
The two ordered coffee and a nice brunch. They joked around and talked about how life was going — where they thought they could be going after the school year, where they wanted to be. Soon their coffee was served and they were laughing and smiling. Nino loved when Alya laughed. He loved the way her eyes closed, and the way her laugh was like a beautiful chime in the wind. It brought him peace. How this woman could be his undoing with such a simple action had never ceased to amaze him.
Their food was served and gods was it amazing. The cafe was clearly highly rated for a reason. The silence between them as they ate was comfortable. It was not to last, though.
Alya's and Nino’s phones went off, indicating an akuma alert. They both checked quickly, in case they needed to jump into action. It was just a low, 2-star threat akuma on the other side of the city. They would be okay for now. Plus, the rest of the team knew what today was, and would call if they were needed.
“Come on Nino, we gotta go.” Alya wiped her face with her napkin and started to wave for their waiter.
“No, we don’t. Als, it is a 2-star , on the other side of the city,” Nino replied, obviously confused. “We are fine staying here to finish our food.”
“But Babe, I need to get this for the Ladyblog,” Alya retorted. “Everyone is counting on me for this.”
“Is everything alright, can I get you something?” the waiter asked.
“Yes, can we please get the check?” Alya cut in before Nino could protest.
“Right away.” The waiter bowed his head and walked off.
“Alya, are you serious right now?” Nino asked.
“Yes Nino, I am. Now once the check gets here, be prepared to go,” Alya said, an edge to her voice.
Nino stared in disbelief at his girlfriend. They had agreed to no work today, and the Ladyblog counted as work. It felt kind of like a punch in the gut, honestly. The waiter brought their bill and bagged their leftovers. Nino paid and took the leftovers, and followed Alya out of the cafe still in shock at the situation.
“Let’s go,” she excitedly exclaimed once outside. She grabbed his hand and started for the subway. He followed her, as always, but this time felt different. He felt the significance of the situation more than usual. It wasn’t unusual for him to follow her to chase akumas to get the latest scoop, but this was different. She had promised. Did she not remember her promise? He certainly did. The weight of it was as heavy as the small ring box in his pocket.
They were soon at their station and exited the train. Alya ran ahead, unaware of Nino’s increasingly upset mood. She had pulled out her phone and started streaming. Nino could hear her start her usual introduction. The excitement and passion were evident in her voice, making him feel all the more conflicted.
He wanted Alya to chase her dreams and be happy, but he also wanted to be valued, for his time. He wanted to be just as important as the newest akuma, or the latest scoop. But he'd known that might not always be the case when he started this relationship. So the sting he felt only confused him more. Stepping up to be her protection, he naturally began to move her out of the way of the dangers she was too blinded to see: the crowds of people fleeing, cars being flung, and even, sometimes, the akuma itself. This was how it always was. Every time, he would remove her from the dangers present and keep her safe while she reported.
They arrived at the scene of the battle and Nino had to hold in his scathing retort. It was August again, only now he was a toddler. He was just a giant toddler running around throwing a tantrum, trying to eat cake, and playing with cars. This was what was more important than their date. A giant toddler throwing a tantrum to get his way.
Nino couldn’t help the scoff that escaped his mouth. In so many ways he could see a parallel between himself and August. But instead of just doing the same thing as always, he needed to step away. He knew Alya would be fine. The toddler was mostly contained, and Viperion and Ryuko had joined Ladybug and Chat Noir, so the battle was almost over. He walked over to a bench nearby and sat down. He pulled out his leftover Monte Cristo sandwich from the take out bag and began to snack away.
Alya was still running around the scene, excitedly talking, unaware that he wasn’t even there anymore. She was in her own hyperfocused world, and it broke his heart a little. He sighed and pulled his phone out. He knew she would want some kind of shot of the action to go along with her video and article later. He snapped a quick photo and then put it back away.
He looked back out at the heroes moving around. They had begun to herd August into place so Ryuko could get the akumatized object. Nino looked over and made eye contact with Chat, who looked confused at them being there. Nino just shrugged apathetically and took another bite of sandwich. He could see Chat hop over to say something to Ladybug, but couldn’t tell what from here. He didn’t miss her head shaking though.
Chat quickly vaulted away from the battle, and landed beside his best friend.
“Nino, what are you guys doing here? I thought you were supposed to be on a special anniversary date,” Chat questioned.
“We were,” Nino replied, pulling out a handful of fries. “Fry?”
Chat looked worried at his friend before hesitantly reaching out for a fry. “Thanks.” His ring beeped a quick reminder that he was about to transform back. “Here, give me a second. I told Ladybug I was gonna sit out a while, be right back.”
Chat ran off towards some buildings. Nino knew what was up — he had been against that timer before as well. He didn’t have to wait long, though. True to his word, Adrien soon came running back up to him.
“So, she couldn’t resist even though you both knew we would be able to take care of everything?” Adrien questioned.
“Yep,” he replied, eating another fry as if to prove his point.
“And you are not happy?”
Nino sighed before looking back at his best friend. “Dude, you know how she is. She is passionate and loud and amazing. But today… today she had promised that it would be just us and we would have a nice brunch and be together and that there would be no work. No akumas.” He waved toward Alya, who was still live streaming the end of the battle. “I just feel like I am coming in second to the Ladyblog today, which I know isn’t fair. Reporting is her passion, and I don’t want her to give up her passion. I just, wish she would see me a little more often as someone other than the b-roll footage, you know?”
Adrien nodded. “Yeah, I know. In a lot of ways, Marinette is the same. She is so driven and passionate about what she wants. Sometimes when she gets inspired for a new design it feels like I am just not there. But the important thing is that you communicate how you feel. You also have to ask yourself, how much of this is your own insecurities.” Adrien reached in the bag and grabbed a fry, popping it in his mouth before continuing. “But this time dude, I think you are justified in how you feel. You guys had made plans and agreed on no work. You should tell her how you feel.”
Adrien leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and looked over at his friend.
“You were going to propose today, right?”
Nino nodded, silent in his answer.
“Do you still want to?”
“I-I don’t know right now man,” Nino replied, thoroughly exasperated. “Right now I kind of just want to walk away and just sulk at home, maybe make a mixtape about how I am feeling. But I know that isn’t how these sorts of problems get resolved.”
“That is true.”
The two of them sat and continued to snack on the leftover fries, as the akuma was cleansed. Pink ladybugs flew everywhere, and Alya began to jump up and down whooping at the hero’s victory. She ran up to the remaining heroes and began asking interview questions about the battle. Neither of the guys needed to be close to know what kinds of questions she was asking. Instead, they sat in silence.
“Did I ever show you the ring I had picked out?” Nino asked.
Adrien looked over, “No. You told me about it, though.”
Nino nodded and reached into his pocket. “Here.” He handed the small velvet box over before leaning his head back on the bench, face turned upwards, eyes closed.
Adrien opened it. An orange sapphire sat in the middle, surrounded by small diamonds to create a lily. The band weaving together like vines. It was stunning and would fit Alya well.
“She would love this,” Adrien whispered. He closed the box and held it in his hand, still looking over at his frustrated friend. “You need to talk to her and stop beating yourself up about wanting some quality time.”
Before Nino could reply, Alya’s voice rang out. “Hey there, sunshine! What are you doing over here? Ooh, what you got? Is that for Mari?” she began, rapid-firing questions.
“Nope, not mine,” Adrien replied. He stood up and placed the ring box in Nino’s lap. The gesture silenced Alya as she seemed to understand what it meant. Adrien walked up and put a hand on her shoulder, “You two really need to talk. I will see you guys back at the house.” He walked off, toward Marinette who was now waiting down the street, waving a quick good-bye over his head.
“B-babe?” Alya quietly called to him, her hand reaching out to his shoulder.
Nino still hadn’t moved from his spot on the bench. He took a deep breath before letting out an audible sigh. He leaned forward and put the box back in his pocket.
“Alya, do you remember what we said for today?” Nino asked, looking over at his girlfriend.
“Um, what do you mean?” Alya started.
“We promised no work. Today would just be us, and no work.” Nino looked up at his girlfriend. Gods he loved her so much, but right now, he just felt hurt.
“But Babe, you know the Ladyblog is different,” Alya replied.
“I know,” Nino whispered, closing his eyes. “Do you know what today is?”
“Saturday?” she replied.
Nino shook his head, looking up at the sky again before looking down. He could feel tears forming. She hadn’t even remembered their anniversary.
“Anything else important about today?” he asked, hoping she would remember with some prompting.
“Uh...it isn’t your birthday, and it isn’t my birthday…” she trailed off.
“It’s our anniversary.” his voice echoed in the silence that settled between them. This was not the comfortable silence from earlier. This was strained, hurt. This silence said volumes about how he had been feeling, and one look at Alya’s wide eyes told him that she now knew it too.
She sat shocked, her mouth moving, but no sounds coming out.
“Here, your leftovers,” Nino dryly said, handing over the bag. “I need to go on a walk...alone.”
“But, babe! I-I am so sorry, we can talk this out,” Alya retorted, “Please, I am so so sorry. I-”
“Alya,” he cut her off, “I am not breaking up with you. I just need some space to gather my thoughts. I will see you at home okay?” He stood up and walked away in whatever direction his feet would take him.
*****
Nino knew he could be a little unreasonable sometimes, and be really needy about time spent together, but this time he felt a little justified in his annoyance. He still loved Alya more than anything, and he still wanted to marry her. Hell, there was no one in this world he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He normally didn’t notice when she was off to do whatever since most of the main miraculous squad members were all renting a house together.
But still, to not only break their promise but to completely forget their anniversary was hurtful. It was going to take a few days to fully let go, but he would forgive and move on. He had to. Nino had been out walking for about an hour when he came up to the house. He took a deep breath and walked up to the door. The first thing he noticed upon entering was that Alya’s coat and shoes were not there. He sighed and trudged into the office room. He sat down and grabbed a pen and paper. He started to write out his thoughts and just let it all spill out. With each word on the page, he felt better. He knew Alya loved him, and he knew she was committed to their relationship. He just needed to talk to her about compromise and mindfulness. This wasn’t their relationship ending, but it was an opportunity for them to grow as a couple.
Nino looked down at his messy handwriting and smiled. Yes, they would be fine. Maybe if Alya was home now, she would be fine to go out for some ice cream and finish the day out, have a nice talk about how they both felt. He walked back to the front door, her shoes and coat still absent. Pulling out his phone, he quickly put on his own shoes and grabbed his jacket. He dialed up Alya’s phone.
“Babe!” Alya’s voice rang through the receiver.
“Hey, where are you? I got home a little bit ago and you aren’t here.”
“I uh, you’re at home?” she asked.
“Yes…” Nino answered. “Babe, you're terrible at hiding things at this point, what are you up to?”
“Dang it,” she replied, “I hate that you're right. I am getting some stuff at the store. Can you meet me at the bakery?”
“Tom and Sabine’s?” he confirmed, now thoroughly suspicious.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice obviously trying to hide something.
“Sure, I will head on over then.”
“Okay! ThankYouSoMuchBye!” she exclaimed, before promptly hanging up.
Nino shook his head and chuckled. She was always doing something. Hopefully, whatever her plan was, it wouldn’t be too over the top.
Nino walked up to the bakery. It was now mid-afternoon, and business was fairly slow. The familiar smell of fresh-baked loaves of bread and cakes filled him with a sort of peace as he walked into the store. He had spent so many years studying here that it had become a sort of second home for him. It really had been that way for all of the miraculous squad. Once Mari’s parents found out, they were always coming and going. Being fed and checked up on. Tom and Sabine had been that shoulder to cry on, or even just the adult voice to reassure and give advice for the situations that often felt overwhelming far beyond what a teen would have normally gone through.
“Nino,” Tom’s booming voice sounded. He was soon around the counter and embracing the young man into a large comforting hug.
“Hey Tom,” he replied. He couldn’t help the smile that always ended up on his face when given a signature Tom hug.
“How have you been, son?” Tom asked as he sat him back on the ground.
“Ah, you know you don’t have to call me that,” Nino replied. “And it has been...going.”
“Nonsense,” Sabine cut in, rounding the corner back into the shop. “You are all basically our children at this point.” She reached up and kissed each cheek before smiling at him. “I heard you have had quite the day.”
“Oh, yeah. Did Alya tell you that?” Nino asked.
“No, Adrien did. Here, drink this and sit there,” Sabine ordered. She had used her mom-voice, and Nino didn’t dare go against the mom-voice. He sat in the chair she had motioned to and sat with the warm cappuccino. They placed a croissant in front of him and some peach jam.
“You both are too good to me,” he mumbled, looking down at the food.
“So, want to tell us what happened?” Sabine asked as she and Tom sat down.
Nino looked at both of their expecting faces. They were really like another set of parents to him, and to Alya. They had been one of the first few people he had talked to when he began thinking of proposing.
“She forgot it was our anniversary, and I got frustrated that we stopped eating on our date to go chase the akuma earlier,” Nino started. “I really shouldn’t have just left her there though. I was really angry and did need time to go on a walk, but I shouldn’t have done that.” He looked down at the coffee in his cup. “And, I know it is petty to feel like I come in second to the Ladyblog, cause I know it isn’t true. But I wish she would have been a little more mindful today.”
Sabine nodded her head, taking a sip of her tea. “Well, you are valid in how you feel. And I think that Alya probably understands how you feel more than you think.”
“You think?” Nino asked.
“Tell me son, have there ever been times where you missed something important of hers because your music came first?” Tom chimed in.
“Yeah, I didn’t think of that at first,” Nino replied.
“Oh don’t look so glum,” Sabine chided. “Eat, you will feel better. We all make mistakes sometimes, but what is important is that we take time to come together and talk about it. Tom and I have fought a lot throughout our relationship, but what is important is that at the end of the day, we love each other, and come together stronger for it.”
“Heh, I knew you would say that,” Nino chuckled. “I actually thought of that earlier. I know that we both have ways we can grow as people, and I still want her in my life. I can’t imagine my future without Alya, honestly. So this is a time for us to talk this over, and come closer.” he took a sip of his coffee.
“You sure?” Tom asked, a teasing undertone to his question.
“Of course! There is no one I would rather fight with.” A small smile formed on his face.
“Well, then, finish your coffee and croissant, you have somewhere to be soon,” Sabine said, each word laced with a motherly joy.
For the rest of the visit, the trio talked about various life updates: changes to the bakery or the newest single Nino had been working on. In its own way, it felt like home. Before leaving, Tom and Sabine gave him a small box and instructed him not to open it until the time was right. When he asked what that meant, they both just gave him a mischievous smirk and sent him on his way, a slip of paper giving him instructions to his next location.
He arrived at Francoise Dupont, and saw Marinette waiting on the steps for him.
“Hey Nino!” she called out.
“Hey ‘Net. This is very suspicious you know,” he replied.
“Meh,” she shrugged, “c'est la vie. Here, you are gonna need this for the next part.” She held out a small bag. Nino took it and looked inside. There was another paper with directions and a black hexagonal box that he recognized immediately. He smiled up at his friend.
“Alya must have really planned something big if Wayzz is involved.”
“I meeaaannnn,” Marinette started. She moved both hands in the air as if weighing invisible options in front of her. “Come on, we have a spot to get to before you can open that.”
She waved him forward and started down the sidewalk. They had walked down to an alley and turned down it. They both looked around quickly before Nino reached in and opened the box.
“Wayzz! My little dude!” he exclaimed, reaching up to fist bump the little kwami.
“Dude!” Wayzz called out, reaching to do their secret handshake. “I believe for the next part of the plan, you need to transform,” the little green kwami stated.
Nino looked over at Marinette who just simply nodded before turning around and leaving the way she came.
“Okay, Wayzz, Shell On!” he cried. He felt his transformation wash over his body. He looked down at the paper and started towards his next destination.
As he got closer to the next spot, he saw Chat Noir sitting on the roof of the warehouse where the team often trained.
“Hey, Bro,” Chat said without turning around.
No matter how stealthy he tried, Chat always knew when he was trying to sneak up on him.
“Hey,” he replied.
“You feeling better than before?” Chat asked, getting up to walk over to his friend.
“Yeah, I am,” he smiled at his friend. “So am I going to go through our whole friend group before I get to Alya now?”
Chat chuckled. “Here, just don’t be late.” He handed a piece of paper over and smiled. “She is waiting for you.”
Nino looked over at his friend for a moment before looking down at the paper.
I will see you where we first had a long heart to heart
Nino knew exactly where that was, and headed off to the zoo.
He landed in a spot near the zoo and dropped his transformation. He looked around and saw Luka and Kagami on a bench off to the side. Luka was playing his guitar while Kagami had out a practice sword. They saw him and waved him over. He walked over to two of them and shook his head back and forth. Yeah, he was going to go through a lot of their friends. This felt like a very Alya thing.
“Hey guys,” he waved.
“Here,” Kagami stated, holding out a ticket to the zoo. “I will give you the same advice I gave Marinette: don’t hesitate.”
“Uh, thanks, I think?” Nino replied.
“Just speak from the heart dude,” Luka called out as Nino walked away.
Nino didn’t get far into the zoo however before he met the next group of people.
“Ah, Nino there you are!” Alya’s dad called out.
“Ah, Mr. Césaire, it is nice to see you again.”
“Please call me Otis. Yes yes, but you must hurry. We don’t have much time,” he mumbled ushering the poor confused young man along.
Nino didn’t get to say much. He was just shuffled along, and then before he realized what was really going on, he was stuck in the gorilla cage again.
“Hey, Turtle Boy,” he heard Alya’s voice ring out behind him.
He turned toward her and smiled.
“You know, if you wanted to talk you could have just said so,” Nino teased.
“I know, but this way it is special,” Alya shuffled her feet, trying to stay cool despite her obvious nervousness. “You can open the box now by the way.”
Nino looked down at the box, carefully opening it. Inside was his favorite cake, with an elegant I’m Sorry in icing across the top.
“You also could have just come to the house with a cake.” He smiled over at his girlfriend. A small melancholy left in his heart the only proof of the argument from earlier. “I am sorry too. It was hypocritical of me to be so angry at you today when I have done the same thing to you before.”
“Yeah, but you have never missed a really big day like I did today,” Alya started. “You have missed small things where we both had work together, and work parties, but nothing like today, and I am sorry.”
Nino looked at the guilt on Alya’s face and quickly closed the distance between them. With his free hand, he cupped her face and turned it up to his own.
“Als, the small stuff is just as important. I think we both need to work on our mindfulness for each other.” He gently traced her cheekbone with his thumb before leaning in to place a small kiss on the tip of her nose.
“What was that?” Alya protested.
“What was what? I was being sweet,” Nino replied.
“Kiss me for real, you dork,” she giggled.
And he did. He leaned in and kissed her — delicately at first, but then with all the love he had in his heart.
“Okay, I think we have made up, are we getting out of the gorilla cage now?” he mumbled at her. He could see people outside starting to gather at the two people in the gorilla cage.
“Yeah,” she giggled. “Dad! We are good now!” she yelled past his shoulder. Once the door was open, they walked out hand in hand. “So babe, you gonna tell me the scoop on that box Adrien was holding?”
Nino could hear the curiosity in her voice and decided to play along. He passed the boxed cake to her and reached in his pocket. “Oh, you mean this one?”
“Yes, what is it? Did you get me earrings again? You know I love earrings, but I have enough already,” she pestered.
Nino stopped and looked around. The people who had begun to gather around the gorilla exhibit were all their friends and family. They all wanted to make sure the two of them would be okay. He saw Adrien give him a quick wink and a thumbs up.
Nino stopped walking and pulled Alya back to stop her with him. “Do you want this box?” he asked her.
“Yes, of course,” she replied.
“Okay,” he said. He opened the box and took the ring out. He saw Alya gasp as she caught sight of the ring. A soft I knew it could be heard from Alya. “Here you go babe,” he placed the empty ring box in her hand.
“Uh! Nino Lahiffe!” Alya exclaimed, hitting his shoulder with the empty box, “Is this how you treat the love of your life?”
“No, but this is,” he said, getting down on one knee. “Alya, my love, my fox, will you marry me?”
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and she smiled at him. “Of course I will. There is no one else I would rather argue with, you know,”
“Good,” he whispered, sliding the ring onto her finger before pulling her into a deep embrace. “Happy anniversary, Alya,” he mumbled into her hair.
“Happy anniversary, babe.”