Thank you to artEngine for betaing! Written for the Miraculous Writer's Guild's April Event.
Alya stared at her two friends in disbelief. They had gone from having limited contact to practically snuggling with each other in front of the whole class!
"I know you two finally started dating but how are you so affectionate already?" She demanded to know, waiting for her best friend to immediately spill the details.
"Isn't this how all couples interact when they love each other?" Adrien asked innocently.
Marinette leaned slightly away from Adrien, so she could whisper in Alya's ear without being overheard. "He gets his romance from anime. Don't tell him anything!"
Adrien Agreste, the famous supermodel, was into anime? Alya raised a disbelieving brow at Marinette who nodded at her in all seriousness. Adrien rested his head on Marinette's shoulder just then and Alya had to control herself from whipping out her phone and snapping a picture.
"Hey, dude and dudette," Nino greeted them as he walked in, fist-bumping Adrien and tossing an arm around Alya. "Hi, babe," he greeted her with a smile. Then he took a double take as Adrien went from resting on Marinette to full-on snuggling into her.
"What are you, a cat? Keep climbing like that and Marinette will be too tired to do anything," Nino shook his head at them.
"It's fine," Marinette waved Nino off as Adrien pouted and snuggled further. "Marinette's warm and if I let go, I'll miss her too much!" Adrien whined in protest. Marinette simply patted his head with her free hand as Alya gaped in disbelief.
"I always knew this day would come but this is too soon. Even for them," Nino lamented and Alya turned to her boyfriend in confusion.
Nino dramatically looked up at the ceiling and shook his head before turning to her. "It's time we face it, babe. We're no longer the romantic ones of the group," Nino said mournfully. Alya's jaw dropped in indignation.
"Nino! Of course, we're the romantic ones. We're very romantic!"
Nino simply gazed at Marinette and Adrien in response. Alya sighed in resignation. "Okay, fine. No one can be as romantic as these two, but we're still plenty romantic."
"These two have me thinking we're not romantic at all."
"Okay, that's so not true," Marinette disentangled herself from Adrien to lean forward. "You two are my favourite couple." Beside her, Adrien nodded solemnly in agreement.
Nino gave them a grin as he played with his hat. "Yeah, you're right. We're an awesome couple." He gave Alya a quick kiss on the cheek as Marinette slid out of his seat. Alya smiled at Nino as she headed towards her own seat but what he had said was starting to get to her. An uncomfortable feeling grew in her stomach and she turned to Marinette, who was watching her carefully.
"Girl, I need you to tell me the truth. Are Nino and I really not that romantic of a couple?"
Marinette sighed. "You two got akumatized for playing "Super Penguino" on a class trip and we all know you weren't playing a video game. You two are very romantic and so clearly in love."
"But what if Nino doesn't think that's true anymore?" Alya whispered, anxiously picking at her nails.
Marinette frowned. "If he thinks you two aren't being as romantic as you used to be, why don't you just do something extra romantic for him?"
Alya tilted her head, thinking it over. That was an intriguing idea. "Like what?" She asked, a little lost for ideas.
Marinette hummed thoughtfully. "Oh! You're an amazing writer, especially when it comes to the facts."
"That's true. Any journalist worth her salt has to be a good writer," Alya pointed out before pausing as she took in the smirk on Marinette's face.
"Why don't you write Nino a love letter?" Marinette whispered excitedly.
Alya blinked having expected something unnecessarily big and complicated. "A love letter?"
"Old-school romance, I think it's the sweetest thing ever. Getting that love letter would just make your heart flutter, especially when it's from someone you love more than anything." Marinette confirmed, sighing dreamily at the idea of receiving a love letter.
Alya quirked an eyebrow at her. "And how exactly do you know this?"
Marinette smiled. "Maman was telling me stories about how Papa courted her, yesterday."
Alya couldn't help but gush at that herself. That must have been so sweet. She paused, replaying the emotions that had just overcome her as Marinette looked at her triumphantly.
"So, you doing it?" Marinette asked innocently, though she couldn't quite hide her smile.
Alya simply rolled her eyes at her best friend. "Nobody likes a gloater," she said, turning to pay attention to Mlle. Bustier's lesson even as Marinette quietly squealed in anticipation.
Alya held up her freshly written letter and squinted at it. Marinette sighed at her from where she was lying on Alya's bed.
"This is like the tenth time you've rewritten it!" Marinette protested when Alya turned around to give her an annoyed look.
"I have to make sure it's perfect!" Alya smiled, her competitive nature coming to life. "He'll regret thinking we're not romantic, if it's the last thing I do!"
"Okay, tone it down over there with the possible supervillain origin story," Marinette laughed. "Alya, Nino loves you. He'll see how romantic it is no matter what you write, okay?"
Alya pursed her lips. "Maybe if I just change one more thing," she mused, reaching for the eraser. Marinette caught her arm before she could get to it and gave her a hard glare.
"No. No more editing," Marinette commanded. Alya looked up at her pleadingly but Marinette was not swayed in the slightest. "Put it in the envelope, Alya." Grudgingly, Alya folded the letter and put it inside the rose-scented pale pink envelope they had specifically picked out.
"Now, seal the envelope," Marinette handed Alya the glue stick, dashing Alya's hopes that she could just take the letter out again later. But Alya didn't argue, knowing Marinette was right to force her into it.
"It's done. It's official now," Alya groaned, resting her head on her desk. Marinette giggled at her. "Not quite, you still have to give it to Nino."
Alya's eyes widened. "Like hand the letter to him? In front of everyone?"
"That'd be so bold and romantic," Marinette gushed.
"Are you sure you haven't started getting your romance tips from anime too?" Alya asked dryly.
Much to Alya's surprise, Marinette blushed. "I had to! Adrien would keep flirting with me anime style and I wanted to know the best ways to catch him off guard."
Alya stared at her best friend. "Never tell me anything about how you and Adrien flirt, got it?" She ordered, inwardly shivering at whatever would cause Marinette to blush so furiously. Marinette opened her mouth to protest but Alya waved her finger at her. "Never," she repeated.
This time it was Marinette's turn to pout at her but Alya also did not give in. After a few moments of an intense staring contest, Marinette gave in with a huff. Satisfied, Alya turned back around to consider her letter.
"Why don't we mail it to Nino instead?" Alya asked hopefully.
"What if his parents or Chris find it and open it before Nino sees it? That would ruin the romance aspect," Marinette pointed out.
"Well do you have a better idea? Because I am not walking up to him and giving it to him at school. That is way too much pressure."
Marinette gave her a mischievous look. "What happened to the fearless journalist who doesn't back down from the truth?"
"She's on vacation," Alya deadpanned making Marinette laugh.
Marinette picked up the letter, her eyes moving around the room. Then she blinked, a slow smile appearing on her face. "I have a plan," she informed Alya.
"For some reason, I feel like you came up with this plan just so you wouldn't have to babysit by yourself," Alya commented as they watched Manon play with Marinette's handmade dolls, as they sat on the park bench.
"Would I do that?" Marinette asked, curled up on the bench. Her eyes kept drooping and she let out a gigantic yawn.
"Based on how tired you are, you most definitely would. Girl, are you not getting enough sleep? You didn't use to be this sleepy." Behind all of Alya's teasing, she was worried for her friend.
"I'm okay, I just get behind on school and whatnot. You know what they say about vicious cycles," Marinette shrugged. "Come on, let's go over the plan one more time."
Alya nodded determinedly, as she pulled out the written she had so carefully written. "Nino will like it, right?" She asked her best friend, a small niggle of doubt making her hesitant.
Marinette beamed at her. "He'll love it," she confirmed. Then she sat up looking more attentive than she had been in hours. "He's here!" She whisper-squealed as she pointed in a general direction. Alya followed her finger to where Nino and Adrien had sat down. Clearly, neither boy had noticed the girls.
"Manon!" Marinette called out to the little girl, who looked up curiously at the sound of her name. When Marinette gestured for her to come over, she quickly abandoned the dolls and ran to sit on Marinette's lap. Manon had turned expectantly towards Alya.
"Is it story time?" Manon asked innocently.
Alya shook her head. "Not yet. Do you see that blond boy, the one you took pictures with once Ladybug got rid of all the ice?"
Manon's eyes lit up in recognition and she nodded eagerly. "Well, can you give this letter to the boy sitting next to him?" Alya held out the letter for Manon, who was frowning. "If you do, I'll tell you all the stories you want."
"Deal!" Manon exclaimed happily, quickly grabbing the letter from Alya and heading towards the two boys. Marinette and Alya watched with bated breath as Manon went to go talk to the boys. Soon enough, Manon was running back to them.
"There! Now a story!" The little girl demanded, plopping herself into Alya's lap. Alya wanted to keep watching the boys but a deal was a deal. Marinette only laughed as Alya began to spin tales of unicorns battling robots.
She'd gotten all the way up to the climax when Marinette interrupted her, by tapping on her shoulder. Adrien and Nino had come up to them. Nino was frowning while Adrien looked extremely uncomfortable.
Marinette winked at Alya before getting up to give Adrien a hug. He hugged her back but not as tightly or lovingly as he always did. Instead, his arms came up hesitantly while his gaze remained trained on Alya. Meanwhile, Nino refused to look at her.
Exasperated, Alya turned to Marinette hoping she would have some idea of what was going on. But Marinette looked just as puzzled as Alya felt.
"Adrien? Is something wrong?" Marinette asked, gently laying a hand on Adrien's cheek which caused him to flinch. A look of surprise and hurt crossed Marinette's face as she took a step back from him.
"Nino? What's happening?" Alya frowned, as she put Manon down to stand next to him. Her boyfriend simply fiddled with his hat, like he always did when he was upset with one arm crossed across his chest defensively. Adrien gave Marinette a regretful look before taking in a deep breath.
"Alya," Adrien said, his voice was hard and unforgiving. "Why would you give this to me?"
Alya looked at Marinette instinctively. She hadn't given anything to Adrien. That was when Adrien reached into his pocket and pulled out a pink envelope. A very familiar pink envelope.
"Why do you have that?" Alya asked as she threw a hurt glance towards Nino. Even if he hated the letter, her boyfriend could have had the decency to keep it to himself rather than pass it on to his best friend.
Then she registered what Adrien had said. "W-what do you mean, give it to you?"
In the corner of her eye, Alya could see Marinette slapping her hand to her forehead before crouching to speak with Manon.
"Manon said it was for me," Adrien defended. "And it has your name on it!"
"You said to give it to the blond boy!" Manon piped up, helpfully.
"No, we said to give it to the boy next to him," Marinette corrected, a relieved smile on her face. "You weren't listening, were you?"
"What?" Nino stuttered, his arms falling down as his eyes met hers. Marinette rolled her eyes.
"Obviously, the letter was for you, Nino. Why on earth would it be for Adrien?"
Adrien and Nino gaped as Marinette scolded Manon for being so excited about a story she ended up not doing her job properly. "Only responsible little girls get stories!" She finished making Manon nod sadly.
"Sorry for making a mess," She apologized before running to hug Marinette's leg for some comfort.
Adrien was visibly relieved as he handed the letter over to Nino before going to Marinette. Alya shook her head at both Manon and Adrien before turning her gaze back towards her sheepish boyfriend.
"Hey, Alya, I just–," Alya didn't let him finish, swatting him on the arm. He yelped before rubbing it to soothe the pain.
"How dare you?" Alya hissed. "I pour all my time and effort into making you the most amazing and romantic letter possible and you think I would send it to Adrien?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Alya saw Adrien open his mouth to protest but Marinette elbowed him in the gut before he could say anything.
Nino wrung his hands together. "I didn't really know what to think, I just...it was your name on the letter and Manon insisted it was for Adrien, and I…"
They turned towards Manon, who gave a little shrug. Alya supposed she should let it go, Manon was only five years old, making her younger than even Alya's twin sisters. And they would have made the mistake much worse than just giving it to Nino's best friend.
Nino's lack of trust on the other hand…Sensing she was about to yell at him again, Nino took her hand in his. "You know I love you, babe. The idea of losing you hurt me too much." He gave her a soft, pleading look.
Alya raised an eyebrow and Nino sighed. "I panicked and acted like a complete idiot. Please forgive me?"
Alya rolled her eyes before pulling Nino into a hug. She could feel her boyfriend grin against her before he pulled back just enough to kiss her. When he pulled away, Alya couldn't help the wave of disappointment that had washed over her.
"Nino? Read the letter," Marinette advised. Then she turned to Alya. "You know, all the movies say that couples that go through misunderstandings like this are the most romantic. But I guess that's just my opinion."
Alya's bestie scooped Manon into her arms before dragging Adrien away. Alya sent Marinette a grateful look before turning back to her boyfriend.
"It smells nice," he said lamely.
"Wow, so nice of you to notice," Alya snarked. He seemed to wilt under her gaze as he carefully opened the letter and began to read. Alya was rather gratified to see the myriad of emotions crossing Nino's face as his eyes misted up.
"I love you too, Alya. I love you so much, babe. I'm so sorry I'm such an idiot." Nino said, at last, his hands trembling as he gripped the letter.
Alya rolled her eyes once again. "And we're an extremely romantic couple, I was completely in the wrong," Nino added.
A smirk crossed Alya's face, making her shrug. "I suppose I can forgive you, just this once," Alya mused out loud making Nino laugh. Before she could react, he pulled her into a kiss and Alya decided there were more important things to care about.