Phew, alright, we're somehow getting there. Sunshine child is still missing in the rescue mission but at least we got two thirds :D
Anyway, since still a few people asked why some persons were acting the way they are or why some scenes are missing:
Here's the link to my analysis again. You can go read it, it's organized and you don't have to read everything, you can just jump to the point of your question. It's not yet finished but I'll upload the rest later in the story because I've decided that it's too much of a spoiler.
Breeze analysis - post/164935761841/breeze-analysis
And if you want to have a scene written, for example a Tom/Sabine scene while Marinette is in this condition or another Adrien scene or anything that you feel has been missing in the story up until now, you can send me an ask on that very same tumblr, awesomefreckledjesus, and you can request that scene. Just send me the ask with the scene you wanna have written and I'll write it as an answer! :)
Also, I have a prompt list under the second link I'll put here, if you want to have a scene written with a prompt from that list, feel free to send it to me, I'll be more than happy to write you a scene! :)
Prompt list - post/163135285581/my-own-prompt-list-for-ml
But for now, enjoy~
Sorry not sorry for that tease ;)
"Alya, it's for you!", her little sister yelled.
She sniffled and sat up at another knock on her door.
"A-Alright, alright Amber… I'm coming."
She opened the door and tried to shoot her sister a smile but it blocked her throat and all she could muster was a nod.
"Th-Thanks…"
"Alya, are you okay?", Amber blinked with her big brown eyes that she inherited from their mother and bit her lip. This time Alya managed a smile.
"Yeah, it's okay. I'll be okay. Sometimes it's just like this."
Amber nodded slowly, seemingly unsure if she should accept that answer but Alya brushed over her hair and pressed a little kiss on her forehead before walking to the door.
As soon as Nino came into her sight another sob worked its way up her throat. She willed the tears to stay back as she waved him in.
"Alya?", he asked, obviously still feeling ambiguous towards her.
"… I-… I know… Just-… Let's go to my room."
He quietly followed her, now unsure that he saw how much she must've cried. He had never really seen Alya cry. At least not looked her in her face while it happened. Sure, in the last months had been a few situations where she'd begun to cry but she'd always either hid her face or had run away. Or he hadn't wanted to see it.
They stepped into her room and Alya closed the door with a quiet click, then leant against it with her back after she turned around. An awkward silence weighed on them, neither knowing who should talk first. She kept her gaze downwards, trying to suppress her tears and sniffles.
"So…", he finally began, his hands buried in his pockets and the playfulness from the call banned from his voice, "Uhm-… I assume we got a whole lot of forgiving to do, huh?"
She hesitantly looked up to his golden eyes but couldn't hold the gaze. Instead she saw that his cap was tilted on his head. Did he hurry to get here?
Another wave of tears threatened to force Alya to her knees but she withstood and bit her lip.
"W-Well-… M-Mostly you… B-Because I was such a b-bitch…"
Just then he snorted. Her gaze found his again and she saw – much to her relief – disagreement and not amusement in his expression. He shook his head and closed the distance between them, lifting his hands to her elbows which she had kept close to her sides, to keep her from falling apart. His warm palms brushed over her skin and she suppressed another sniffle by pressing her lips together.
"No. Well, yeah, I gotta forgive you but mostly, you gotta forgive yourself for being a bitch. Otherwise you can't exactly talk to Marinette."
Just like that her dams broke. She couldn't keep the tears in any longer and leant her forehead against his collarbone, now sobbing.
Nino wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on her hair, gently smiling as he held her tight. Her reaction was enough for him to forgive her. He knew she was being honest and glad that he was here.
So he kept quiet and continued brushing over her back with his hands in calm, slow movements, letting her soak his shirt. Sometime later her hands found their way around his back as well and she finally lifted her face away from the fabric, changing the shoulder to lean on because the other was completely wettened by her tears. She slowly calmed down again, just pressing her cheek against him and listening to their heartbeats. Her knees were wobbly and her throat was feeling raw and dry. He seemed to notice because he sat down on the edge of her bed and pulled her on his lap without breaking the hug and reached for a bottle of water that she always kept on the side, uncapping it and giving it to her. She managed to swallow a few gulps before snuggling against him again, new tears threatening to take over. Nino put the bottle away and brushed over her hair, keeping her tightly against him.
"… S-Sorry… For-… For ruining your shirt…", she croaked but he just shook his head.
"Don't worry about it, just calm down first. My shirt's not important."
They stayed like this for a while until her breaths were coming out evenly and calm.
"… It's gonna be okay.", he finally whispered, tilting his head a little so he could nuzzle her temple, "You're gonna be okay. Marinette's gonna be okay. We just gotta start."
She lightly nodded, wondering if she could ever see it as easy as him.
"… How-…", her voice was raspy and it hurt when she spoke but she willed herself to continue, "… How d-do I forgive myself…?"
Nino merely shrugged, his hands keeping themselves busy with comfortingly brushing over her back and hair.
"I dunno, really… Maybe tolerate what you've done and move on, trying to do the opposite now?"
Alya sighed and turned her head so she could bury her face in the fabric of his shirt again, snuffling.
"Well… I've been a bitch…"
Nino nodded.
"Yep, pretty much."
She couldn't help but lightly chuckle at his answer.
"Gee, thanks.", they both snorted but a comfortable silence spread again until Alya spoke up, "… I've abandoned my best friend when she needed me the most…"
Nino felt his heart sink at her words. Because, yes, even if he liked Alya, admittedly liked her very much, she was right. She had abandoned her best friend. She had treated Marinette like air in the past months. She hadn't even bothered looking up when Chloé had slapped the bluenette.
"… Yeah, you have…", he whispered, every word feeling so incredibly heavy on his tongue. There was no denying it and no sugarcoating the bitter truth.
"… I-… I was unfair… And put s-someone else above her… Someone that I didn't even know… That I looked up to because she had superpowers…", her breath hitched, "… I-… I left Marinette completely alone over someone I didn't even know…"
She felt his embrace tightening around her and pressed her face even more against his shoulder, her glasses uncomfortably pinching her nose, just wanting to forget everything around her and everything that she's done. Because she was so incredibly ashamed to have done that.
"… Yeah, you have…", he repeated again and she felt how much he fought with himself to tell her that, "… You left her completely alone when she needed you the most."
Alya felt another sob building up in her throat but forced herself to breathe through. She had cried enough over herself. She had cried enough over something wrong she had done. It was time that she started tolerating her ignorance and doing better instead.
"I could've stopped all this.", she whispered, her voice muffled by his shirt, "I could've told her she hasn't been herself and I could've stood by her. I doubt it would've escalated that bad if I had just-… I had ignored my own hurt. She-… She was in a way worse situation than I have been."
Nino's hands stilled and he nodded once again.
"She still is, Alya. She still is in that situation. She's-… She's getting worse every day. We gotta do something and-…", he gently pushed against her shoulders to look at her, "… I need you, Alya. Maybe when she sees that you've finally understood what's really going on here she'll start opening up again. I-… I feel like you're the key here. Please, please help me."
Her lower lip trembled again but she managed a steady nod and this time, she held his gaze.
"We'll get Marinette back. And we'll protect her. I-… I'm sorry for what I've done and I'm-… I'm ready to do better. I've mourned someone I didn't even know for the last months and I acted like a complete bitch. That wasn't me."
Nino smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.
"That's the spirit. Man, I've missed you like that, Alya…"
She sighed and nodded, rubbing her cheeks to get the dried traces of her tears off.
"Yeah… Sorry…"
He chuckled and shook his head, his thumb coming to a rest on her temple to keep her hair away because she already lowered her gaze again. His other hand gently lifted her chin up for them to make eye contact again.
"Stop apologizing to me, Alya. You gotta start apologizing to Marinette. She still has to forgive you, not me. I already forgave you on the phone. Because I know you're being sincere."
She huffed lightly and nodded, not breaking their gaze.
"Yeah, I guess you're right… I really gotta talk to Marinette.", then her breath hitched, "Y-… You're forgiving me?"
Nino smiled at that and his hand on the side of her face adjusted so that he was now cupping her cheek.
"Of course I have. Do you know how long I had to wait for you to finally come around? Today's one of the happiest days of my life! Because I know that we can change something now, finally."
Her gaze jumped between his eyes because they were so close to each other and she was overwhelmed by his honesty and hope. His emotions were laid out so openly and raw before her that she didn't even know how to answer it anymore. He had waited for her to come around. He had waited for her, had fought for her to finally, finally come out of the pit of self-pity in which she had thrown herself. He had held out for so long just for her to come around. He had not once lost his temper and just tried to punch some sense into her, a feeling that she was experiencing right now. A feeling of wanting to go back in time and slap herself so hard she was gonna realize way before now that what she was doing was wrong.
He had waited for her, had scolded her, had tried to argue with her, had soothed her and had dried her tears, unjustified tears, while he had known all along what was happening right in front of her nose. He had not once, not one single time, even thought about doing anything to her even if the anger had bubbled inside him, he had not once tried to just grab her and shake her even though he had seen what Marinette had been going through.
He had been patient, he never lost hope and he had, most importantly, wanted her to realize what she's been doing herself. He had always pushed her in the direction but he had never tried to get it into her head by force or anything else. He had had the firm belief that she would come around, sooner or later. And he would've waited for her. No matter how long it would've taken. And just like that.
Just like that he's forgiving her then.
His kindness and his patience slapped right into her face and her breath hitched as she leant closer.
He had waited for her. He had held out for her. He had shouldered everything just to buy her more time.
Her eyes still jumped between his, waiting for an answer, waiting for a sign that she should stop but all she could see was a smile. So her eyes fluttered close as he hands found their way to his neck.
His hold on her tightened and she felt his breath on her skin as they leant closer and just a few moments until their lips touched-…
Something on her thigh suddenly buzzed. She recoiled out of surprise and if Nino hadn't held her as tight she would've toppled from his lap onto the floor. Both their eyes snapped open and he quickly reached into his pocket to reveal his phone, buzzing with a call. She could just so make out Adrien on the screen as Nino already scowled and tapped the call away.
"… Why is he calling?", she finally managed to ask, her heart still racing form the almost kiss and the surprise.
"I dunno.", Nino answered quickly. Maybe a little too quickly, "But he's been calling all day."
Alya furrowed her eyebrows and bit her lip.
"And you're not gonna answer? Maybe something happened?"
His gaze lifted from his phone to look at her again and she could feel herself melting at his eyes.
"Nah, I don't think so… I think he wants to cry himself out on my shoulder again on how shitty his father's treating him and if I could send him some homework again because he can't make it. I don't want to hear that all over again."
"But-… He's your best friend."
Nino growled and pushed his phone onto the mattress, sliding it away.
"Yeah, but he's been even more shitty to Marinette than you. I just-… I really wanna just tell him to his face that she used to love him. I wanna see his world crumbling with that."
Alya gulped and brushed over his cheek so that he'd look at her again.
"Why haven't you done that yet?"
"Because of the same reason why I didn't tell you how bad Marinette was getting.", he said, as if it was obvious, "Because for one, he's gotta realize that himself, and two, he wouldn't believe me and think it was just another statement I came up with to make him see something he doesn't want to see. And, well, I'm probably just too soft to tell anyone off like that."
Alya bit her lip, once again understanding just how lucky she's been to have Nino.
"Maybe he's calling because of the same reason as I?"
He huffed and shrugged, looking at his phone again as it buzzed with another call, again Adrien.
"Yeah, maybe…"
She could feel his uncertainty so she leant around him and pressed herself against his chest to reach for the phone. She managed to grab it and gave it to Nino, trying a comforting smile.
"Just answer. If he's being self-centered just hang up. I'll be here, the entire time."
Nino sighed and looked at her again, slowly nodding.
"Alright…", he mumbled and pressed accept while Alya snuggled against his chest again, tightly hugging him.
He's been there for her so the least she could do was being there for him.
