Work Text:
It was so obvious to Nino now.
Adrien, his best friend, was Chat Noir.
They had the same build, the same voice, the same cocky grin when things went his way. Nino didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it before, but when Nino happened to see Chat leap into Adrien’s room--and that flash of green light--that confirmed the fact.
Nino didn’t dare tell Alya. But he could help Adrien.
“Please let me help, Adrien,” Nino told him, after Adrien stopped panicking about his identity being blown. As Nino continued begging, Adrien started pacing across his room. “I can be your guy in the chair.”
Adrien stopped abruptly, giving his friend a quizzical look. “My what?”
“The guy in the chair.” Nino nodded slowly. “The person who supports the hero. Generally, the guy in the chair stays behind to give the hero vital information, clean the suits, and patch up wounds.”
Adrien laughed. “I don’t need anyone to clean my suit, and the Miraculous Cure patches me up, but it…” He hesitated but then gave Nino a beaming grin. “Having a friend to support me would be great.”
Nino clapped a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “I’m here for you, my man. Whatever you need.”
Including, Nino thought, putting aside my Adrienette ship to help Ladynoir happen.
***
It was so obvious to Alya now.
Marinette, her best friend, was Ladybug.
They had the same build, the same voice, the same determined stare when things went south. Alya didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it before, but when Alya happened to see Ladybug leap into Marinette’s room--and that flash of pink light--that confirmed the fact.
Alya didn’t dare tell Nino. But she could help Marinette.
“Please let me help, Marinette,” Alya told her, after Marinette stopped panicking about her identity being blown. As Alya continued begging, Marinette started pacing across her room. “I can be your guy in the chair.”
Marinette stopped abruptly, giving her friend a quizzical look. “My what?”
“The guy in the chair.” Alya nodded slowly. “The person who supports the hero. Generally, the guy in the chair stays behind to give the hero vital information, clean the suits, and patch up wounds.”
Marinette smiled a little. “I don’t need anyone to clean my suit, and the Miraculous Cure patches me up, but it…” She hesitated but then gave Alya a beaming grin. “Having a friend to support me would be great.”
Alya clapped a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “I’m here for you, girl. Whatever you need.”
Including, Alya thought, putting aside my Ladynoir ship to help Adrienette happen.
***
Nino didn’t know why, but Alya was doing everything she could to sabotage Chat Noir’s relationship with Ladybug. Alya was practically ignoring Chat in her news footage now, and the discrepancy was obvious to everyone--or so Nino thought.
“What’s wrong with Chat Noir?” Nino demanded of his girlfriend, frowning as she sat on her bed in front of him. “Earlier, you wanted nothing more than to have Ladybug ask him out.”
“Ladynoir is old news.” Alya waved a hand dismissively. “Adrienette is where it’s at.”
Nino scoffed. “No way. Adrien’s never going to pull his head out of his butt and ask Marinette out.”
He’s too in love with Ladybug, Nino thought. As Chat.
“Why not?” Alya stood from her bed, her fists clenched at her sides. “You don’t know that he doesn’t like her.”
“You don’t know that he does!” Nino stepped forward into Alya’s space, the bill of his hat just barely cresting the top of her head. “Ladynoir is a much more probable ship.”
“What are you talking about?” Alya’s lip curled. “Ladybug doesn’t love Chat; we all know that.”
“Yes, she does,” Nino growled under his breath. “Not romantically, not yet, but as soon as she sees what a great guy he is--”
“Hold up.” Alya held up a hand. She narrowed her eyes, jutting her chin towards Nino’s face. “You sound like you know him. Know him personally.”
Nino laughed nervously, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Nope.” Alya scowled at him, so Nino continued. “What? How could you think I know who Chat is? That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” Alya reached up to grip Nino’s collar and tugged him down to her level. His hat bonked the top of her head. “Are you lying to me, Nino Lahiffe?”
Nino bit his lip. “Harsh. Why would I lie to you?” She didn’t budge, so he tried a different tact. “Me knowing Chat is about as ridiculous as you knowing Ladybug. Right?”
“Hahaha!” Alya’s laughter sounded as forced as his had been. She released him and stepped back, turning half away. “Me knowing Ladybug? Naaah.”
“Yeah,” Nino said, nodding rapidly. “Yeah.” He furrowed his brow. “Are we cool, babe?”
Alya glanced away. “Why would we not be cool?”
Nino gave her a pained grimace. “Because we were fighting over which ship was better?”
Alya stared at her feet. “Oh. Yeah. Well… I still say Adrienette is the better of the two.”
“Harsh.”
***
Alya never left Ladybug alone, and that drove Nino absolutely bonkers. Every time Nino encouraged Chat to go for his crush, Alya would show up, whip out her phone, and demand an interview.
Every. Single. Time.
Chat was no closer to confessing, and Nino was even more tempted to throttle Alya.
It was almost like she was doing this on purpose.
As Nino tracked Ladybug’s progress in the akuma fight, he watched her doing flips and yo-yo tricks, vowing that Chat would confess that day, come hell or high water.
He’d given Chat a pep talk, priming him to confess that day. He had to. He must. Nino was certain that that day was the day.
The akuma fight ended, and Chat vaulted to the rooftop Ladybug was on, ready to lunge for her.
“Hey, Ladybug!” Alya said from behind Nino, causing him to whip his head around to face her. “How about an interview?”
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Nino cut in before Ladybug could answer, stomping his foot next to Alya’s bike. “It’s time for us to spend some time together, dear.”
Alya frowned down at Nino from her bike seat. “Oh, really?”
Chat and Ladybug landed next to them. Ladybug offered Alya a beaming grin. “I can give an interview!”
“Oh, hey,” Chat said, rubbing the back of his neck in a mannerism so like Adrien, Nino wondered how he’d missed his friend’s identity for so long. “We only have a couple of minutes left on our timers, so…”
“It’s fine,” Nino said, slanting a look at Alya. “We were just leaving.”
“I wasn’t.” Alya scowled at him, and then turned to Ladybug with a smile. “So how do you feel about Hawkmoth’s latest attempts?”
Nino groaned.
***
Nino never left Adrien alone, and that drove Alya absolutely bonkers. Every time Alya encouraged Marinette to go for her crush, Nino would show up, loop an arm around Adrien’s shoulders, and drag him away.
Every. Single. Time.
Marinette was no closer to confessing, and Alya was even more tempted to throttle Nino.
It was almost like he was doing this on purpose.
As Alya sat behind Adrien in class, she stared at the back of his head, vowing that Marinette would confess that day, come hell or high water.
She’d passed a note to Marinette, priming her to confess that day. She had to. She must. Alya was certain that that day was the day.
The lunch bell rang, and Marinette stood, ready to lunge for Adrien.
“Hey, bro!” Nino said, grinning at his friend. “Do you want to have lunch in the park today?”
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Alya cut in before Adrien could answer, slapping her hand on the desk between him and her boyfriend. “It’s time for us to spend some time together, dear.”
Nino frowned up at her from the bottom step. “Oh, really?”
Adrien and Marinette traded glances. Marinette tapped her index fingers together. “I don’t want to keep you, Adrien, if you have somewhere to be…”
“No, no, it’s okay, I’m…” Adrien started, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll probably go with Nino.”
“It’s fine,” Alya said, slanting a look at Nino. “We were just leaving.”
“I wasn’t.” Nino scowled at her, and then turned to Adrien with a smile. “So how about that lunch?”
Alya groaned.
***
Just when Nino thought he could take no more of these shenanigans, a curious thing happened.
Alya’s Adrienette ship sailed.
Adrien and Marinette came into school one day, trading banter and smooches as if they’d known each other for years and had only just caught on to that fact.
“And just think,” Adrien was saying as he walked Marinette to her desk, waggling his brows, “all this time, I was claws-trophobic!”
Marinette giggled and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Stop, you!”
Nino refused to look at Alya. She was likely wearing an infuriatingly-smug grin. “Bro,” he said as Adrien sat down. “What happened?”
Adrien turned to him with the brightest smile Nino had ever seen on the boy. Adrien leaned forward to whisper, “I learned her secret!”
Her secret? Nino wondered, blinking. What secret?
Alya was, indeed, smug as all get out. Now that she’d won, Nino had no reason not to make nice with his girlfriend, but she was making that hard by gloating at lunch.
“And did you see the way they lingered on the cheek kisses?” Alya bounced on the balls of her feet in the cafeteria line. “Adrien especially--”
“Okay, fine.” Nino heaved a sigh. “You’ve won, they’re dating, now can we move on?”
Alya narrowed her eyes at him. “Is there a reason you decided to impede the progress of my ship, Lahiffe?”
“Oh, we’re using last names now?”
Alya tilted her chin up, picking up a tray. “I see no reason to play nice until you explain why you wanted to prevent Marinette from confessing. Or, rather, Adrien from being confessed to.”
Nino blew a raspberry. “Can we just drop it, Alya? I won’t get in your way again.”
Alya shook her head and placed a container of Jello on her tray. “Fine.”
Nino felt a cold pit open up in his stomach. He knew it would take work to repair his relationship with his girlfriend, and he wondered if Alya was willing to put in that work. “Hey.” He gently touched her hand, and she looked up. “Are we still cool?”
Alya considered him for a moment. “Yeah. We’re cool.”
Nino wasn’t so sure.
***
Alya had to talk to Marinette, and Alya didn’t want to. After her ship had sailed, she’d thought her work was done.
But that was before Ladybug had kissed Chat.
Alya had been communicating with Ladybug, reporting on the akuma’s whereabouts. After the fight, Alya accidentally walked in on Chat and Ladybug sucking face in an alleyway right before their transformations wore off.
They’d broken away from each other as if scalded and spirited themselves away in different directions before Alya could get a word in. Now she was standing outside the bakery, having called Marinette to tell her that they needed to talk.
Marinette met her at the door, her face glowing as red as a traffic light. “Hi, Alya.”
“Marinette, Marinette, Marinette.” Alya pushed her way into the bakery. “What on earth have you gotten yourself into, girl?”
Sabine and Tom were nowhere to be seen and Marinette didn’t seem to want to budge, so Alya figured they could have this conversation on the ground floor.
Marinette held up her hands. “It’s not what you think.”
“Really?” Alya squinted at her friend. “Because what it looks like is that you are cheating on your boyfriend with your superhero partner.” Alya pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t take you for a cheater, Marinette.”
Marinette stared at her feet. “I… I don’t know what to say.”
“I do.” Alya folded her arms. “You need to stop two-timing Adrien and confess to him your mistake. Hopefully he’ll forgive you.”
Marinette brightened. “Confess to Adrien? What a great idea!”
Alya blinked. “You’re not supposed to feel happy about this. What did I miss?”
“Miss?” Marinette avoided Alya’s eyes, which indicated to her that Marinette was lying through her teeth. You’ve missed nothing.”
The penny dropped. Alya nearly facepalmed. “Adrien is Chat, isn’t he.”
Marinette gulped. “You can’t tell anyone, Alya.”
“I won’t, girl! But…” Alya sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I think I need to apologize to Nino.”
“Nino?”
Alya waved a hand. “Long story. Now, tell me how the reveal happened, I’m dying for details…”
***
Nino had to talk to Adrien, and Nino didn’t want to. After Alya’s ship had sailed, Nino had thought his work was done.
But that was before Chat had kissed Ladybug.
Nino had been communicating with Chat, reporting on the akuma’s whereabouts. After the fight, Nino accidentally walked in on Chat and Ladybug sucking face in an alleyway right before their transformations wore off.
They’d broken away from each other as if scalded and spirited themselves away in different directions before Nino could get a word in. Now he stood outside the Agreste mansion, boiling mad, having called Adrien to tell her that they needed to talk.
Adrien met him at the door, his face glowing like a traffic light. “Hi, Ni--oof!”
Nino smacked Adrien in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. “How could you, dude?” Nino clenched his fists at his sides. He didn’t want to hit Adrien again--and had never intended to in the first place--but the impulse to defend Marinette was strong. “Marinette is one of my best friends and you’re cheating on her?”
Adrien held up his hands, probably to forestall further hitting. “It’s not what you think!”
Nino shoved his face into Adrien’s space, lip curling. “Oh? Do tell. What have I missed?”
Adrien gulped. “I can’t. She’d kill me.”
The penny dropped. Nino nearly facepalmed. “She’s Ladybug, isn’t she?”
Adrien windmilled his hands. “You can’t tell anyone, Nino.”
“Trust me, I won’t.” Nino sighed, shoulders slumping. “But I do have to apologize to Alya.”
“Alya?”
Nino shook his head. “No worries, bro. Sorry I hit you.”
“It’s cool.” Adrien held up a fist. “Friends?”
Nino touched his knuckles to Adrien’s. “Friends.”
***
“I’m sorry.”
Nino surprised Alya by saying the words at the same time as she did. She blinked at him. “What?”
Nino rubbed the back of his neck, glancing around Alya’s room. “I guess we’re both sorry. What are you apologizing for?”
Alya cupped Nino’s cheek, drawing his gaze up to hers. “Well. I was kind of a prat about the Adrienette ship. I never should have argued with you about which ship was better, and I never should have gloated when they got together. I’m sorry.”
Nino nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I never should have argued with you, either. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.”
They stared awkwardly at each other for a while, neither saying anything. Alya had no idea what to say. She didn’t have words for how much she regretted chasing her boyfriend away. They’d never been at each other’s throats before, and rebuilding was going to take a lot of work.
Nino seemed to know exactly what to say. He waggled his brows. “Wanna make out?”
Alya cackled at him. “What? Really?” She grinned at him. “I mean, yes, yes I do, more than anything, that’s a great idea, but what the heck, Nino?”
Nino shrugged. “I’ve missed you. I’ve missed the easy camaraderie we had. I’ve missed your passion. And I’ve missed making out.” Nino glanced away. “A lot.”
Alya wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a deep, lingering kiss to his lips. “Me, too.”
Nino leaned forward, his lips barely brushing hers, and smiled against her mouth. “We cool?”
“Yeah.” Alya’s tongue darted out and traced his lower lip. “We’re cool.”
Then Nino showed her exactly what she’d been missing.