Happy Valentine's Day, Cataclysme-Noire! Here's the first chapter of your gift for the Valentine's Day Gift Exchange of the ML Ship Fleet on Discord.
The movie had just finish, and yet Nino was overwhelmed by Alya's babbling. He smiled to his girlfriend as he pushed the theater's door. He loved how passionate she could be. "Will you write a text for your blog about the movie?"
She interrupted her analysis and stared at him with wide eyes. "Why? That wasn't about Ladybug!"
"But it was about superheroes. Wouldn't it great to compare our real superheroes to fictional ones?"
"Nino, you're a genius!" She pecked his cheek and dragged him by the hand with an insufferable enthusiasm.
"Err... Where're you going, babe?" Nino was surprised to see her head home.
"But Nino, I have a blog post to write!" She rolled her eyes. "Come on! You know I love when you play music while I'm writing." Nino stopped.
"Alya, you said we would go to a café after the movie. Can't you take a real break from your blog?" She sighed and turned to face him.
"Well... I had totally forgotten... You don't mind if..." He shrugged and started to walk again.
"As you want. I know how important it is to you, babe."
"You're much more important to me than my blog and all that superheroes stuff!" She pecked him on the nose. "Besides Carapace, of course..." she whispered and he shivered. "Which café do you want to go to?"
They went on talking while drinking hot cocoa in the café's upper room. After the movie and superheroes stuff, they talked about Nino's music and Alya's blog. About their collège homework, too. And about their friends, of course. Especially Marinette and Adrien.
"Those dorks are hopeless." Nino said. Alya sighed.
"No, I'm sure they're not. But honestly, I've never seen people so blind! Err... No, forget what I just said. I know who are as blind as them!" Nino stared at her with wide eyes.
"Err... who?" She leaned towards him and whispered.
"Our beloved superheroes... and partners. Ladybug and Chat Noir."
"Are you kidding me?" She rolled her eyes. "But Alya, you can't be serious!" She frowned her brows.
"Why?"
"Babe, it's obvious! OK, Chat Noir likes Ladybug. But she keeps rejecting him. She can't be in love with him!"
"Nino, you don't know them as much as I do! Trust me, she loves him. Well, OK, I understand your feeling. But, in fact, she's as oblivious towards Chat Noir as Adrien is towards Marinette, trust me. Don't you see my point?" He shrugged.
"Well, I'm not sure about it, not sure at all... But OK, you're not only Rena Rouge, you're also the Ladyblogger, so I thinks that it means that you know them much more than me."
"I'm sure of it, trust me! If I ship Adrinette and Ladynoir, it's because these two couples are really meant to be, you know it." He winced, not totally convinced by his girlfriend's assertions. "Oh! I know what would be great, really great!" She was so enthousiastic that a few people seated in the café turned to stare at them.
"Hey babe, calm down a little, please. Some superheroes stuff shouldn't be heard by civilians, you know..." She rolled her eyes but leaned towards him and whispered.
"It'll be Valentine's Day in a few weeks, Nino. You know what that means?" He winked.
"Yes, I've been thinking of a few things we can do, just you and me." She blushed.
"Oh! Err... Yeah, you're right..." She wiggled on her seat, while looking suddenly at the café's ceiling. Nino raised his eyebrows. He stared at her and eventually sighed.
"Babe... You know that I really know you, right?" She nodded, eyes still fixed on the ceiling. "So I know you weren't thinking about us, earlier. Mind to share with me?" She stared at him, biting her lip.
"You... you don't mind, sure? Err... I was thinking about my two ships, Adrinette and Ladynoir." He nodded. "You don't see the point with Valentine's Day? It would be so great to make ships to sail!" Her eyes were wide with excitement and she was then very enthusiastic. Nino sighed. He hated to be the one who had to calm his girlfriend down, especially about that topic, but he knew he really had to do it. He wiggled in his seat and gulped.
"Err... Alya, you know I love you, right. I really love you. I understand what do you mean, I promise I do. I see your enthusiasm. But... I'm really sorry, babe, but... I'm afraid that..." She furrowed her eyebrows.
"What's up? Is there any problem?"
"Yeah... Alya, you know you can't do that, right?"
"Why not? You know they're in love, Nino! Err, not all together, but Adrien and Marinette are, and Ladybug and Chat Noir also. We must help them! It'll be our Valentine's Day gift for our friends, and for our partners! We can't do better, you know it!" Nino sighted and leaned towards his girlfriend. He took her hands in his and stared at her.
"Alya, Alya, Alya... You really are a good friend, and a good partner, and they love you. But babe... don't you see that you can't decide what they have to do in their stead? You can't play with them." She straightened up and furrowed her eyebrows. He could see she was nearly furious, and he hated that. He gulped and resisted the urge to close his eyes.
"But Ninooooooooo! I don't want to play with them! They're free, they would still end up making a decision, eventually! I won't kidnap them to help them realize their feelings! I just want to help them! Adrinette and Ladynoir could be as happy as us, you know! That's what I want for them!" He sighed and leaned on his seat's back. She was so stubborn!
"You won't let go, babe?" She stared at him with so much hope that he felt his determination melt down. "You can't force them, you know that?"
"I won't, Nino. I promise you I won't. I just want to help them!" He sighed. "Hey! You know what? We should call this: Operation Pink Cupid!" Nino rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to do that... but did he have a choice?