They raced into the kitchen, tripping over each other as they hurried inside. Alya ran right to the oven, and Nino threw the oven mitts across the room, so she wouldn't get hurt. It was an impressive throw and catch to be honest, but the smoke filling the room distracted them too much to appreciate it. Alya pulled open the door and smoke billowed out, choking them immediately. She flicked off the power to the oven and yelled for him to open the back door. He did, obediently, and she threw the charred black pizza out into the concrete. Both of them stumbled out after it, trying to cough the smoke out of their lungs, and gasp for fresh air.
"Are you-" Nino coughed so violently he felt he may as well be really sick, "Are you ok?"
Alya was already choking before he asked. She sank to the ground. The air was cleaner down here. Hot air rises and all that.
"I -" Alya gagged, "I'm fine!"
The smoke cleared, and they could finally see again, clearly now. In front of them, the cheese on top of the pizza was still glowing. Completely lava red around the charred black remains.
"I don't think we can call that pizza, do you?" Alya asked.
"All that effort wasted," Nino sighed.
Alya and Nino stared at the crumbly smoking black husk of a pizza, defeated. They had put so much effort into that - Nino still had dried sauce stains on his shirt - and it had come to this. A tragedy.
"The whole house is going to stink now," Nino said.
Alya cleaned her glasses on the hem of her shirt and glanced back into the kitchen through the window. The smoke was easing now. If they opened enough windows for a while they could air out the smell as well as they could. Although on a cold night like tonight, with fat, slow rain drops splattering on the ground like that, sizzling on the burnt pizza, and the biting wind twisting like that, maybe they'd have to shut the windows before they were properly aired.
"Let's cook some popcorn," she said, suddenly.
Nino wrinkled his nose. "Popcorn to counter the pizza smell? Great."
Alya gave him an unimpressed look. "Don't be sarcastic."
"Why do you want popcorn?" He asked.
"We're going to watch a movie, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Movies need popcorn. I'll order a pizza, you put the popcorn in the oven, and maybe we can save this night somehow."
"I think I know how. But you're right, let's get everything sorted out first."
Alya wandered back inside first, and Nino followed. They worked together to open all the windows downstairs. Now it was freezing in the house, but it smelt less.
"What you up to Nino?" Alya called.
Nino appeared at the kitchen door momentarily, "Stay in here, I want this to be a surprise!"
"What to be a surprise?" Alya asked.
"If I tell you it won't be a surprise!" Nino tutted.
Alya rolled her eyes. She lingered in the kitchen, and decided to tidy up the mess they had made earlier. The saucepan went from the sink to the dish washer, and she piled in the cheese grater and chopping boards and the rolling pin too.
She could hear Nino scurrying back upstairs like an excited imp. The smile it caused distracted her. She picked up the knife a little too near the blade and sliced her finger open.
"OW!" She cried.
Scarlet blood oozed out and ran down her finger as she curled it carefully, to see how badly it hurt. She hissed with pain. It ached like a bitch. Now the blood was running down her hand like she'd cut her wrist. she bit her lip. Nino was going to freak. She could hear him coming. His footsteps came dashing back to her, ready to defend her. He almost slammed into the door of the kitchen as he slipped on the wooden floor because of his socks. He ignored the throbbing in his arm and yelled, urgently:
"What?! What happened?!"
Alya bowed her head as he looked around urgently for any signs of danger. That's when he noticed the blood dripping onto her sleeve. He immediately fell from aggressive to protective. From a bear to a teddy. It would be adorable if Alya's hand wasn't full of onion juice burning its way across her hand.
Nino reached out gently to take her hand. "Let me see."
Reluctantly, Alya held up her finger. There was a cut along the inside of her right index finger, at the base, going towards her thumb. The blood had moved across her arm, making it look worse than it was. He hissed, empathetically.
"Nothing that won't heal," he promised gently.
Alya stood still as Nino cleaned up her thumb with a damp cloth. She hissed as he hit a patch where onion juice was. When she hissed, he eased up and was softer. When it was clean, it was a small cut really, Just in an incontinent place. Then he covered the wound with a plaster, carefully.
"There. all better," he smirked.
She felt childish until she glanced up to meet his gaze. Kind and sympathetic and full of love. She could have reached up there, tangled her hand in the hair at the back of his head, and yank him into a kiss deep enough to take his breath away.
But she didn't.
Her hand would have hurt too much.
"Chat Noir would kiss it better," she said, defiantly.
"Chat Noir isn't some Prince Charming Alya, he's got his faults," Nino insisted.
"And he'd still kiss it better," Alya countered.
Nino smirked. He wasn't really sure why, because he didn't feel threatened by Chat Noir in any way (everyone knew he only had eyes for the bug) but still, something about her persistence made him want to grant her wish. He took her hand, gently, avoiding the cut, and lifted it up to his mouth. Very gently, he bent his head, and kissed the plaster. Alya's cheeks flushed a little. She stared at him. She didn't actually expect him to do it. Nino's ears turned scarlet when he saw her expression. Like a rabbit in headlights. his cheeks burned.
Their earlier near miss was fresh in his mind. So close to a kiss, and yet, so far. He'd do anything to get back there and do it right this time.
A knock on the front door cut through the tension like an axe. Alya broke away swiftly, muttering that she'd get it, and hurried down the hall. Nino slipped into the living room to continue with what he had been doing. Alya paid the pizza man from her own pocket, and hurried back into the kitchen.
"Can I come in there yet?" Alya asked.
"Not yet!" Nino called.
Alya groaned. She went back to filling the dish washer with dirty cutlery, being careful to avoid the knife blades this time. The heat from the pizza drew her in. As did the free garlic bread that came with their order. She broke open the box, ready to steal all of the garlic bread before Nino got a chance to eat any. Her breath would be terrible if they kissed later, but that was his problem not hers.
"Ok, I'm ready. Bring the pizza!" He called.
Alya grabbed the box and wandered into the sitting room where Nino was waiting. The only light was the TV, and it lit up the sofa. Nino had pulled the sofa out and turned it into the bed. He had crowded the pull out with cushions, pillows, and blankets.
The bigger cushions were at the back, boxing in the sofa. Then he added smaller, mismatching cushions to fill the gaps between the big cushions. Those propped up the fluffy pillows they he laid against the back for the two of them to use as pillows. Then he pinned a blanket over the top of them, like a kind of den, and laid another at the end of the bed for them to snuggle under. That was an electric blanket.
"All we have to do is put on our pyjamas, get the popcorn and the drinks, and the remote, and we won't have to move all night," Nino explained.
Alya took it all in. There was literally no light apart from the tv, but there was a lamp on the table nearby, and a plug behind the sofa to charge her phone with. And there was Nino. Everything they might need was right there. Until they drank too much and had to run to the toilet anyway.
"Do you like it?" Nino asked, hopefully.
Alya turned to beam at him. She considered kissing his cheek, but something made her decide otherwise. Probably her breath. It was very garlicky. She didn't want to make their first kiss unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
"I love it Nino. It's amazing," she smiled.
Nino heaved a sigh of relief but beamed back at her, proudly. Alya smiled at him. He was cute when he wanted to be. She grabbed her bag from where she had left it, and hurried upstairs to change into her pyjamas. Nino shut the windows again, so they were slightly less frozen, before changing into his own pyjamas. He was delighted and not at all surprised to see her spotty Ladybug themed pyjamas. His heart melted a little more to see her tie her hair out of her eyes, and look more comfortable than he had seen her in a long time. He was pleased to know she was comfortable. He watched in awe as she wandered into the kitchen to make popcorn.
By the time they both sat down, the smell of burnt pizza was all but gone. They nestled under the blanket together, snuggled close, with pizza, popcorn, garlic bread, coke and the remote, well within reach.
"What shall we watch?" Nino asked.
Alya yawned hard, and rubbed her eyes. Exhaustion hit her like a frat train.
"You choose. As long as it's funny, I don't care," she said.
Nino felt her wiggle to lean her head against his chest again. She liked hearing his heart beat so close to hers, but something it made her sleepy. She didn't even argue when he put on a film he knew she wasn't fond of. If he wanted to watch it, she would let him. They were just going to make jokes about it anyway. Although this was the one time that Nino came up with more puns that Alya, because she kept getting distracted by sleep clawing in, and the way his laugh tumbled through his chest, vibrating against his ribs.
When she couldn't reach the popcorn, he pulled it closer, took a handful, and raised it to her for her to take them. she misread the situation, and ate them from his palm. Again Nino turned pink. Alya didn't notice. She just felt him squeeze her a little harder. Nino never wanted to let her no. Never wanted her to move from his chest. So that's where she fell asleep.
Too afraid of waking her up, Nino nestled down against her too, and fell asleep with her in his arms, and the TV still on.
They slept right through the return of the bike. Alya didn't get a chance to watch any of the videos of the concert Adrien and Marinette had attended. She even missed the message from Chloe sent to everyone in their class. Nino slept through it, all the same.
They could have slept through a war as long as they had each other.
Since neither of them wanted to risk burning the entire house down, or at least the kitchen, it was cereal and toast for breakfast. Alya's phone had died. If it hadn't maybe they wouldn't have had time for breakfast. Defiantly not one like this. They were sitting together on the floor between their den and the coffee table, where they had spent the night. Alya was close to giving herself hiccups from laughing so hard at Nino.
"But how did it end up on the ceiling?!" Alya threw her head back laughing.
"I told you, I tripped!" Nino grinned.
"WHAT, ON THE CEILING?!" Alya howled.
Nino glanced up at the butter stain on the kitchen ceiling. It was just out of view, but it was a great smear across the ceiling paint. He had been surprised when Alya called his name in her sleep. It had caused him to throw his arms in the air, and the knife went flying up to the ceiling, with the butter on the blade. A loud clatter when it hit the ground woke Alya up. Nino was trying to save face. It was worth losing, because now there was butter on the ceiling, but a smile on Alya's face.
"What time is it?" Alya asked.
"Morning," Nino stated.
Alya smirked and shook her head. "What time in the morning?"
"Early," Nino nodded.
She hummed thoughtfully and sipped her hot chocolate. Nino eyed her suspiciously. He recognised that glint in her eye, even though it wasn't magnified by her glasses. He waited for her to talk to him first, so she'd have to share what she was plotting. Alya placed her mug back on the table top.
"Do you think Adrien would look good in glasses?" She asked thoughtfully.
That's not where Nino thought this conversation was going. He frowned, first in confusion, and then in thought.
"I suppose so. He's handsome as hell and trained to make his flaws into strengths. I guess he could bring back geek chic. But his father wouldn't like having to dress him up like that. It might decrease sales," Nino said.
Alya was disappointed with the answer, not because it was inaccurate, but because it was painfully accurate.
"He'd probably have to get laser eye surgery. It's not like his father couldn't afford it," She agreed.
It was a sad truth that Gabriel wanted his son to be perfect, even when it wasn't possible. Before big photo shoots they had seen him hiding the cookies he took from Marinette, because he didn't want to be rude, but he also had to stick to a diet he hated. It annoyed them, but what could they do about it? They couldn't be banned from his house twice, so the next step would have to be even more extreme.
"If he waits a while they'll probably be an akuma with enough lasers to give him that surgery for free," Nino joked.
Alya gave a soft laugh, but it ached a little. Alya may act like she only ever used her time with Adrien to big up Marinette, but she really liked the guy. He was her friend. she didn't like to see him sad. But Nino dealt with Adrien, and Alya dealt with Marinette. Like strange second parents the same age as them. which reminded her…
"She should have phoned by now. her parents start work at four in the morning and she gets up at six to help them. it's almost ten now. she should have phoned."
"maybe she's busy in the bakery," Nino shrugged
"maybe..." Alya muttered.
Alya threw a desperate glance over to where her phone was charging. Nino followed her longing gaze. One day, in some future world, when they were older, and dating properly, and happy together, maybe he'd finally manage to pull her attention away from her phone long enough to have a meal together. probably not. but it's a small price to pay for the depth of her affection. When it comes, that is.
"Go on," Nino smirked, "Go phone her and ask."
Alya beamed gratefully, leapt to her feet, and dashed over to her phone. She snatched it up, threw herself onto the sofa, and beamed excitedly as she dialled Marinette's number on speed dial. Marinette answered almost instantly.
"Morning Alya."
Alya didn't have time for pleasantries. She was eager, no, longing for all the juicy details about her first date with Adrien. Ok it was a FAKE first date, but they had put in so much effort it may as well be real! Plus, she was a journalist. She wanted answers. There was no place for politeness when you're chasing a story!
"So? How did it go?" Alya asked eagerly.
Marinette cleared her throat. She sounded a little nervous. Like she wasn't alone. But she continued the conversation anyway. "Um, yeah, it was awesome! Shame you couldn't come, you'd have enjoyed it!"
Alya frowned. Enjoyed it? yeah, of course she would! It was a JAGGED STONE concert! Everyone would enjoy it, that's why it'll be all over the internet by now. that wasn't what she was asking.
"But what happened?! Come on I want details!" Alya begged.
Alya's voice glistened in the greedy way that it did, and clutched the phone harder, as if she could squeeze it into telling her all of Marinette's gossip. Marinette's voice got tighter, and a little more nervous. She sounded distracted.
"Alya, it's really early. I'm still having breakfast," she said, pointedly.
"What? That's never stopped you before. Who's there, your parents? Tell them I said hi!" Alya grinned.
"Ooh, tell em I do too!" Nino called.
"Tell them Nino says hi too!" Alya echoed.
Marinette's parents were the greatest. The love for them, her father especially, ran deep in most of her classmates, given that they would come in and teach them to bake, or bring delicious treats with him.
"Um... my parents are in the bakery," Marinette muttered.
Alya's voice crumpled with confusion, "Then who are you with?"
Marinette made a sound like she was trying to think of a lie. Alya's mind whirled. She daren't hope that it could be who she thought it was. it couldn't be. that wasn't possible. It couldn't be him… could it?
Marinette muttered, anxiously, "It's a long story..."
"Who?" Alya pressed, urgently.
Marinette gulped. Alya heard it down the phone. She must have been pressed up, right against her phone, like she was trying to hide it from whoever she was with. Alya bit her lip hopefully, and crossed her fingers.
"How's Nino feeling?" Marinette asked.
Alya gasped, her throat strangled with ecstatic delight, but she still managed to shout. "ADRIEN?!"
Nino's head snapped up, eyes wide. Alya leapt to her feet excitedly. The joy filled her so fully she couldn't stay still. She bounced excitedly on the pull out. Nino hurried over urgently, closer to the phone.
"Put it on speaker!" he urged.
Alya put it on loud speaker. She fell to her knees and held the phone out, so they were both crowded around it. the pride that swelled in her chest made her a little smug. This had all been her idea, after all.
"Last night went really well then!" she teased.
"Alya," Marinette whined.
This wasn't good enough. At any moment Marinette could hang up and end the conversation. She would if Alya pressed this. Alya couldn't risk it.
"I'm coming over. Now. Immediately. I want gossip!" Alya declared.
Nino looked up at her, confused and alarmed. They couldn't just go over there and interrupt! No matter how much he was desperate to. But that mad glint in her eyes meant there was no talking her out of this. and anyway, someone was going to have to make sure things didn't get too out of hand!
"Alya!" Marinette squeaked desperately.
"There's no stopping me, I'm getting dressed right now! See you in an hour!" Alya beamed. She hung up, threw her phone down onto the sofa, and jumped around like a kid on a trampoline, shouting delightedly, "NINO! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON! WE'RE GOING OUT!"
