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Nino wasn’t her first boyfriend, of course. There had been others before him.
The first had been her play friend Andre from la maternelle , if he even counted. They’d held onto each other’s grimy little hands and declared before their parents that they were going to get married one day. A week later he’d found a new girl to play with, and Alya swore off dating.
Her promise went the way of all childhood vows; cast into the wind the moment she entered le collège. That was when she met Louis, a sweet boy with fluffy curls that liked to hold hands under the picnic table. He’d take her to the cinema or to get ice cream after a test. He should’ve been perfect, and yet… Alya had been bored. Louis had liked the idea of a girlfriend, but he didn’t know how to have a relationship. Alya found herself carrying the brunt of their conversations beyond simple pleasantries, fighting to even get him to engage. They had nothing to talk about, nothing in common. Eventually the effort became too much, and they parted ways.
The next boy was Albert. He was tall with a pretty smile and gorgeous green eyes. He gave her sweet kisses, pretty Valentines, and someone to rely on. For awhile, Alya fancied herself in love. Until she told him of her dream of becoming an investigative journalist. Albert scoffed at that, telling her to leave the real journalistic work to the men, and wouldn’t she rather write a women’s column? Alya didn’t wait to tell him exactly where to stick his advice and left him a distant speck in her memory.
Boys, Alya had decided after that fiasco, were stupid.
But then she met him.
At first, Alya really only knew him as Marinette’s childhood friend. He seemed friendly enough; Nino always greeted her when she walked into class, and never failed to make her laugh. Plus, when it came to Marinette’s crush on Adrien, there was no better person to get top-secret information from. Slowly, the school year went by, she found them becoming friends.
Key word: friends.
Nino was like a brother to her. Which is why when the zoo date came around and Nino showed up, confessing to Marinette that he had a crush on Alya, she’d been aghast. Nino? Had a crush on her? It was too much to even fathom! There was no way that was even possible, not when he was just a--
Oh.
Alya was left wondering how she really felt when Ladybug locked her and Nino in that cage, practically forcing her to make sense of her thoughts. Was Nino really just a friend to her? Why did he see her as someone more? What made her so special? Alya wanted to take his declaration with a grain of salt, to ignore what he’d said so she didn’t have to deal with it…
But he proved her wrong. She found herself falling for him within several minutes of conversation as they sat in that cage, conversing about anything and everything. She found herself willing to try whatever it is her feelings were telling her. Perhaps she’d been too impulsive about it back then, but now? Alya doesn’t regret anything.
Nino was there for her. He listened to her, and held her when things got rough. He loved looking for truths just as much as she did, and he was always willing to support her when she rushed into danger for a story. He let her pursue her passions; but at the same time, he was never afraid to share his passions with her, too.
Perhaps it was foolish to believe, and yet… what Alya had with Nino felt real to her. It felt different. It felt like it could last.
And she wanted those around her to see it, too. It was finally time to introduce Nino to her parents.
Alya scurried around the apartment, setting out plates at the table (plus an extra, she thought with delight). Since Nino was her guest, it was her duty to set the table that night.
Ella and Etta weaved around the table laughing loudly, playing a game of tag. Etta made too tight of a turn, crashing into a leg of the table. Alya gasped as she saw the table wobble dangerously.
“Watch it, Etta!” Alya snapped, setting the stack of plates down to heft her little sister up and away from the table.
“Be nice, Alya,” her mother scolded, “she’s just playing. No harm done.”
Alya sighed. She’d been letting her nerves get the best of her all night. She certainly didn’t need to take them out on her little sister.
“I’m sorry, Etta. I just want everything to go well tonight. I shouldn’t have snapped.”
Etta forgave her easily, as all children did, before jumping right back into the fray with Ella. When she was gone, Alya found herself wilting.
“What’s wrong, darling?” Her mom asked, pulling Alya into her arms and rubbing her hands up and down her back.
“I just… really want you and dad to like him. I like him. I guess I’m just nervous.”
“You’ve nothing to be nervous about, Alya. From what you’ve said, he’s a sweet boy. I’m sure your father and I will love him too,” her mother smiled. Alya found it in herself to smile back.
Then, the doorbell rang.
He’s here.
Pushing back her nerves, Alya walked over to the door and let Nino in.
“Hi,” he said softly, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. She blushed.
“Hey.” Alya looked back at where her parents and sisters were getting ready to sit at the table. “Are you ready to meet them?”
Nino smiled warmly at her. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Alya nodded. “I hope so.”
She took Nino’s hand, and the two of them walked over to the dinner table and sat down. Her parents were already setting food on the table; Nino watched in awe as dish after dish was placed down. It wasn’t long before her mother gestured that they could dig in.
At first, everyone was focused on their food. Alya wasn’t very sure how to go about conversation when Nino awkwardly cleared his throat.
“This is very good, Madame Cesaire,” he said, “I love your cooking.”
Her mother smiled. “I’m glad you like it, Nino.”
“Oh, Mama,” Etta said excitedly, “did you know Nino DJs?”
Her father turned towards Etta in surprise. “Does he?”
“Yeah!” Ella exclaimed, adding onto her sister. “It’s so cool, Alya shows us a lot of videos.”
Alya found herself blushing at the same time Nino, who seemed flustered, said, “oh yeah, DJing is, um, my passion.”
“That’s awesome,” her father said, “so what makes DJing your passion?”
It wasn’t long before they fell into easy conversation. Alya found that Nino blended in easily; he didn’t seem out of place at all, and her parents and sisters made an effort to include him in conversation. Alya’s nerves slowly began to ease, and they continued their dinner with lots of laughing and smiling going around.
As Alya’s eyes met her mother’s, she saw her mother’s warm gaze as she nodded in Nino’s direction. He’s perfect, her eyes seemed to say, and, when Alya turned towards her father, she got similar approval from him, too.
Alya smiled. Perhaps she didn’t have anything to worry about after all. Nino fit in just like family, and maybe in the future, that would become permanent.
These happy thoughts plagued her for the rest of the evening. Nothing, not even an akuma releasing a hoard of evil bees, could ruin it.