OMG, this got long.

I swear none of this was premeditated, it just happened. I had no idea things would go in this direction…


When Alya walks into class the next morning, Adrien's eyes are bloodshot and Nino's cap is slanted over his face. Marinette, as usual, is yet to be seen.

Alya takes her seat while stifling a yawn. One of her eyebrows peaks at Adrien, who sees her expression and answers before she can ask.

"I didn't sleep well last night."

Alya's eyebrow raises higher. "And what about the night before that?"

Adrien frowns at her, but in a pouty way, and Alya can't help giggling at his expense. He seems fine enough, she'll let it alone. It's not like she's any better anyway; the number of midnight akuma attacks has been insanely high recently, and it's been keeping her from getting much sleep.

(Yes, that's all it is. She certainly didn't have a hard time closing her eyes last night without seeing Carapace from behind in her head, the clenching of his muscles on repeat. She would never think of her hero that way, ever.)

Her gaze slides coolly over to Nino, that persistent yawn making its way past her lips. She snorts.

"Is Nino asleep?"

Adrien glances at him and shrugs. "I'm honestly not sure."

"What's with you guys? Did you stay up watching horror movies or something?"

"Yeah," a husky voice drawls, and for a split second of slight shock, Alya thinks it comes out of Adrien's mouth. She realizes the word belongs to Nino not a second after, and a strange feeling passes through her gut; he sounds like he just woke up after a long night. "I climbed through his window around twelve and we had a horror movie marathon."

Alya's smile is tired. "Seriously?"

"No way, dude. I don't do horror movies. And Adrien's house has, like, twelve-foot gates, eight dogs," Nino starts listing off on his fingers, "cameras everywhere, a kick-ass alarm system, eyes in the walls, ears on the floor, lasers—"

"Okay, I get it. You wouldn't be caught dead in that place."

"Dead is all I'd ever be in that place. I'm haunting," Nino peers at her weird. "And anyway, you're one to talk. You look—"

"MADE IT!"

The tardy bell and Marinette cut Nino off at the same time. Alya, Adrien, and Nino all cringe.

"Girl."

Alya frowns at the sight of her best friend; Marinette is visibly at the end of her rope. She looks about like Adrien and Nino combined, though not twice as bad, thank god. Her eyes are bloodshot and there's an unfocused air about her. When she sits down, it's with weight Alya didn't know she had.

"Shit, Marinette," she says, leaning towards the girl sympathetically, "Who put you out?"

"What?"

"I'll rephrase," Alya answers, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Marinette takes a comically large yawn that Alya would think was staged if not for her appearance. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"That makes four of us," says Adrien, trying for a light-hearted chuckle but getting a sad whimper instead.

The three of his friends turn to him in unison with concern, but Ms. Bustier enters the room right at this moment with a chipper tune in her chest, silencing most of the classroom. Anyone who's still talking gets quiet when she clears her throat and asks for everyone's attention.

"To start class today, we'll be reviewing an analysis of literature. Afterwards, you all will write your own analyses of the story we finished last week," she instructs, tucking a stray orange lock of hair behind her ear. "We've been preparing for this the entire week, so I expect you all to perform your best."

The topic is dropped for now as their group gives a collective groan. Yes, Alya is remiss to admit, even herself. She is strong, but there's nothing harder than trying to read while dead tired. She's going to have such a hard time staying awake in class…

Alya would never elect to give up the hero life, but perhaps Ladybug had been onto something with that break she'd given her.


No matter how many times it's happened to him, it's always a little bothersome when he gets that tap on the shoulder– yes, the one– while he's listening to his music. It's like breaking any artist out of their self-induced trance: a mistake (okay, that's a little dramatic, but forgive him for not wanting to end a song in the middle of everything that it has going on).

Nino doesn't bother to pause the song as he pulls his headphones most of the way down. He casts a glance over his shoulder to see who wants his attention. Now Nino's bad moods have always faded abnormally quickly, but the instant he sees it's Alya, this one is gone at breakneck speed. He smiles at her. "What's up?"

Alya beams back at him. "Wanna come to the movies this weekend?"

Nino blinks, not sure he heard correctly. Was the volume messing with his ears? "Wait, like, with you?" he asks, not hiding his disbelief at all.

Alya's face morphs into a weird expression and Nino mentally facepalms; why would he word it like that? Why would he say it like that?

"Yeah," she answers, "Adrien and Mari are coming too." She eyes him in that subtle way she does things that strike her as odd, or out of place. Her head tilts and the thoughts she doesn't voice color her hazel gaze in a way that makes Nino's heart do stupid things. "You okay with that?"

"Yes, I-I'm fine with that," Nino clears his throat, pausing to regain his bearing. He hadn't been ready for this conversation at all. She's throwing one thing after another at him, and it isn't fair. Not really. "Sorry if I didn't seem fine with that, but uh, I've been— y'know—"

"In your own world?"

"I guess?"

Alya's expression morphs again, this time into something beautifully amused. "Guy, you completely check-out every time you put those things on,"

Alya gestures to his headphones, but she doesn't have to; they both know what she's talking about. Despite himself, Nino can feel heat rising into his cheeks. He doesn't know why, it's not even that embarrassing. It's just interesting to know she pays that much attention to him, he supposes, even though it's really nothing major. Across from him, Alya shrugs.

"But we all have our things," she continues. "I'll admit I can get narrow-sighted when it comes to the Ladyblog."

Nino nods big. "Uh, yeah. By the way, are you insane? You could get seriously hurt doing stuff like that!"

"As loud as you have those headphones, I bet your ears have already started ringing," Alya replies easily, swiftly. It's an astute observation, and more true than she's probably aware, but Nino doesn't betray that, even as she stares him down with genuine increduilty. "Are you insane?"

He purses his lips and looks at her flatly. "That is not even comparable to the kinds of trouble you get into,"

"I'm just stating the facts."

"You mean the fact that you miraculously defy death every other day for amateur news?"

"Hey, I just like to put my passion on full blast like you do," Alya defends, and Nino is pleasantly surprised by the bright conviction in her eyes. "Sure, the risk level is different—"

"Hway different—"

"—but it's the same principle!"

Nino has always put his passion on full blast, and it's always been that simple, but no one could really understand. Or so he thought. How long has Alya been thinking that? He wants to know if she thought of it just now, or if she's always known, or if it's something in-between.

Her hazel eyes watch him, probably anticipating a retaliation of some kind, but as far as Nino is concerned, there's nothing more to say. His features soften into a cool expression.

"Okay, okay," he concedes peacefully, and he can see it confuses Alya slightly. A grin breaks across Nino's face and he's not entirely sure why. "What time are we going to the movies?"

Alya eyes him curiously— in a good way this time— more questions shining clearly in her eyes, but moves on. "Depends. When are you available? Mari says she has to help her parents on Saturday, but the bakery will be closed on Sunday. Adrien is a wildcard. I'm free Sunday, but not too late because my parents restrict my movements on school nights."

Nino shrugs. "I'll probably be free Sunday."

"Probably?"

"I don't typically have much to do on weekends, but if I do, my folks always tell me last minute. Sorry."

"Eh, whatever. We'll work with it," Alya waves him off with a smile. "So how does 9:30 sound?"

"Sounds good to me." Nino turns back round in his seat and lifts his headphones.

Alya rests her fingertips on his shoulder, stopping him. "Don't you want to know what we're watching?"

"Uh, I guess, yeah," he turns to her. "What were you thinkin?"

Alya's smile instantly turns too sweet to mean anything good.


Nino steps into the theater, uncertainty knitting his brow.

He doesn't know how he was convinced to come see a horror film. He hates horror films. Okay, hate's a strong word, but really, what's the point of watching one? Get scared? Lose sleep? Embrace conspiracy? Not to mention it seems like nearly every horror movie ever has plot issues— if they manage to develop any plot at all. Just… why? No thanks.

The directing is the only thing he can appreciate, for select titles. People find the perfect way to make something inherently scary ten times more scary just by messing with angle, timing, and lighting. Like, it's totally jacked up, but it's cool.

They approach the window and buy their tickets. After that, it's a brief debate on whether to buy some of the overpriced snacks or not. Adrien points out that his allowance is like, a thousand dollars a week and he has no idea what to spend it on, so they should just let him take care of the snacks this time. It's hard to argue with that logic.

They're allowed to get whatever they want, but Nino keeps it light. The girls on the other hand…

As they walk to the room designated to their film of choice, Nino can hear Alya whispering fervently into Marinette's ear, and though the details elude him, he thinks he knows the topic of discussion.

Nino is aware that Marinette has a crush on Adrien— everyone is aware, except for Adrien himself. Nino is also aware that Alya is a helpful personality and enjoys scheming, so she's probably coaching her less adept friend on how to exist next to Adrien Agreste— again. It's not like he's against it, but Nino does feel somewhat disappointed; he's forced to consider that this entire get-together is actually another scheme to get Marinette closer to Adrien, and he's just an accessory.

It wouldn't be the first time Nino was invited to something just because Adrien was. Nino suspects a lot of their classmates see him as an extension of Adrien— as Nino, Adrien's best friend, instead of just Nino. But, he tells himself, Alya asked you out herself and seemed like she wanted to talk to you. It could be that she really wanted them all to hang out together and he's just overthinking this. Is he just overthinking this? Probably not, it's happened before…

In any case, it isn't like him to stress this much over something like that. Sure, it's a little annoying, but as long as he's having a good time with his friends, how much does it really matter?

(In the back of his head Nino recognizes that it matters enough to bother him. He isn't sure what to do with that, so he ignores it.)

Once in the dim viewing room, Nino can see the seating situation coming from a mile away— Alya isn't the only one that pays close attention to things. Still, he doesn't feel fully prepared.

You would think sitting in front of the girl everyday would almost desensitize him to being next to her, but it doesn't. Maybe things are just different in a classroom. Here is an informal setting and it just feels a little more… intimate. Their company is the focus rather than some distant concept, and they're sitting shoulder to shoulder this time. He doesn't think the fact that it's dark helps.

Nino tries to watch the movie. He really does. It's just not happening. He'd rather look at his friends, or his phone, but the latter isn't really popular practice so friends it is.

Even though they're watching a scary film, Adrien is perennially mild and Marinette isn't even watching, too distracted by her oblivious neighbor for anything else to hold her focus. Though, to her credit, she does realize she's staring every ten minutes or so and looks at the screen (just in time to be scared into diverting her attention back to something else, like Adrien).

Alya, at least, appears to be getting her money's worth. Her gaze rarely strays from the screen. When things in the movie are calm, Nino can see the theorizing behind her eyes. She makes a tiny purse out of her lips as the gears turn, and smirks at random moments when things of seemingly little significance are happening. They probably mean something to her. No doubt she's unraveled the shallow complexity of the story within the first twenty minutes of viewing and is just enjoying being right about everything.

When the frightening parts happen, she tenses up like everyone else— but unlike everyone else, she gets caught between what looks like nuanced levels of eagerness and alarm, maybe even excitement? Thrill? Honestly, there's a lot to unpack there. All he knows is, where the other patrons in the room flinch back, she jerks upward, fists clenching at her sides, and it's unclear what her instinctual intentions are. It's like she can't decide whether confronting a sudden demonic assailant head-on is the right thing to do or not. Watching her, it's no wonder she seeks out the danger during akuma attacks; her fight or flight response must be broken— or something. Who in their right mind has indecision over something like that?

Better yet, who in their right mind has a crush on someone like that?

(Does this mean he is finally admitting to himself that he has a crush on her? Nino supposes that yes, yes it does mean that.)

In the midst of this dangerously and uncharacteristically hormone-intense realization, said crush unexpectedly leans into his space. Alya still has both eyes on the screen, but the tension that had sharpened her shoulders eases away (is it really that easy for her to watch this stuff?) and her cheek stops just shy of his. "How you holding up?" she whispers.

Nino's mind is blank until he remembers that he doesn't like horror movies, and she knows that. "Well, y'know, I'm holding," he whispers back with a shrug.

"You seem tense,"

"Everyone's tense. You're tense," Nino adds. "It's a scary movie."

Her eyes quickly consider him before flicking back to the screen. "Touché."

Those are the last words they exchange for a while, Alya eagerly sucked back into the film and Nino lost in his thoughts.

Alya just may be crazy… but maybe Nino likes crazy. Maybe he wants to be there when she sees something that should scare her straight and instead her eyes light up, and her body is ready to spring into action, and maybe he likes not knowing whether or not she is going to fight. Maybe he wants to be there for her to run to when she decides to fly.

It's stupid, and he's dimly aware that it could be very, very dangerous, but somehow, he can't bring himself to fear it.

Maybe Nino is crazy too. Hopefully that just helps him out.

Halfway through the climax, which has thus far consisted of a sinfully drawn-out exorcism, poor angling, some cut off limbs, and all too much screaming— yes, really there is such a thing— the theater shakes.

Nino sucks in a nervous breath. Tension brews at the base of his skull, his senses blaring notes of danger.

"You guys feel that?" he asks his friends, sharing a nervous look with each of them.

Marinette and Adrien do a one-eighty flip, painfully sober and serious within seconds. Adrien's eyes scan the theater for trouble and Marinette straight-up gets out of her seat. The theater shakes one more time, the greater rumble catching other people's attention now, and Nino has to stop himself from immediately pulling Alya into him protectively. They're friends, but that would be… weird.

The destruction sounds methodical, like whatever has caused this ruckus is systemically making its way through the theater. The damage only gets louder and louder, the rumbles intensifying as the source comes closer and closer. But in (awful) movie fashion, everyone waits until the villain has burst into their theater room and is attacking people before deciding to sprint for the exits.

Nevermind that Nino is technically a part of that group. As he watches the akumatized victim zap a small group of strangers with green lasers from her eyes, the citizens getting folded and shrunken down into tiny versions of themselves and trapped behind a screen— or inside a screen-box?— he justifies himself with his responsibility as a hero of Paris to stand nearby in case Ladybug and Chat Noir need his assistance. Easy access during a crisis, right? It's just coincidence that Alya has no sense of self-preservation and is also still here.

Marinette and Adrien flee the room almost instantly, at the same time, the panic making them run out in opposite directions. Nino doesn't begrudge them for not waiting up. It's natural to assume your sane friends are right behind you, also trying to escape the villain. Instinctually speaking, Nino wants to do the same thing and get somewhere safe— or at least safer than here, right up under the danger— but what he wants isn't what ends up happening.

Alya hastily ducks behind a row of chairs and points her cellphone at the akuma, and of course, Nino doesn't waste a second throwing himself down beside her.

"Dude," he wheezes slightly as the wind is knocked from his chest. Yeah, he probably didn't need to literally hit the floor. "Let's get out of here."

"Surely you don't actually mean that." Alya tells him. Nino can hear the amusement in her voice when she says this, in all seriousness. Does she really find his disgruntlement amusing? As if anyone wouldn't want to run away from this chaos?

Yes. Yes, she's crazy. There's no helping her, he's got to save himself, get away now before it's too late.

But all he says is, "Yeah, I mean that." And he means that, too.

Nino pushes himself up. He peers cautiously over the top of a chair at the layout of the room. The akuma has made quick work of several of the guests, trapping them all in floating screens, each depicting scenes from different films with the innocents taking on the roles of the main cast. Nino actually recognizes a few of the movies. Geist, Wolf in England, Last Airbender… all horrific or gorey films of some kind.

"I want a better angle,"

"What?" Nino blinks his eyes, processing those words. Looking over at his friend, his face stretches with alarm as he sees her rising to her full height. "Wait!"

Alya vaults herself over their cover and runs— with the phone still up, gods— across the room to a place more suitable for keeping tabs on the situation, supposedly. She's in full capture mode. Nino can tell she isn't entirely unscared, there's definitely a sense of danger in her somewhere, but a stronger sense of adventure— nay, daring— blocks all the signals. Alya positions herself in a place with no protection, just outside the villain's current focus, and seems determined to stay there.

Nino isn't surprised, but that doesn't mean he can't be exasperated. Narrow-minded is generous; this girl can see exactly where this is going, and goes anyway. She's bull-headed.

He jumps the chairs to follow after her.

"Dude," he says flatly when he arrives at her side, and he is impressed by his outward composure. "Really?"

Alya actually flinches slightly. She admonishes him, "Bruh, don't sneak up on me."

"What? You forgot I was here?"

"No, I just wasn't expecting you to—"

"You there!"

Gulping, Nino slowly turns his head up to meet the eyes of the akuma.

"I see you overlooking me!" she roars, "Bantering like that— am I not scary enough for you? Huh? Acting like I'm not even here,"

Her eyes begin to glow a bright, bright green and Nino's arm pushes against Alya's shoulder insistently, trying to get her to move.

"Alya—" he hisses at her.

"Nino—" she growls back.

"Well if I'm not scary enough for you, maybe this will be!"

Alya gasps as she finally gets her head out of her butt and sees the attack coming. The two of them duck out of the way of the lasers by the skin of their teeth and bolt in different directions. Nino curses in his head.

His eyes scan the space. Chairs have been torn up from the ground, popcorn and candy bites have been showered across the carpet walkways. Some of the lights at the front of the theater, by the screen, have come on, whatever good they're supposed to be. The askew projector plays faded faces over the dark floor, famous visages lagging behind the distressed voices they belong to.

On the other side of it all is Alya. Alya running, dodging flying debris and green lasers. The theater villain has decided to chase her down first, probably because of the glaring light paired with her phone camera which the girl had had the audacity to shine directly into the akuma's face. Nino doesn't blame the theater villain; he'd want to attack her first for that, too.

He bites his lip as he contemplates whether or not to try and meet her; if he keeps his distance, there's an opportunity for him to receive his miraculous from Ladybug. If he becomes Carapace, then he can save Alya for sure. If he bolts in now, who knows what'll happen.

Nino ducks behind an overturned trio of seats and shoots a glance at the hole in the theater wall that opens out onto the street; but what if Ladybug and Chat Noir don't get here in time? He casts his gaze on his friend, still running from the akuma.

Alya hops from one seat to another across the rows, going up the levels to the room, when she suddenly disappears down between two rows. The villain gains on where she was last, eyes blazing. Alya reappears a row down just as twin lasers fly at her, and somehow she manages to jump back and dodge one while she raises a hand and repels the other laser away! Nino is shocked until Alya shakes out her hand with a yelp and drops something spare and shiny; she'd used something metal.

The bounced laser hits the theater villain square in the face. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the same affect on her as it does on everyone else; she shouts in pain, but remains in their dimension. Alya instantly bolts off while the akuma is momentarily stunned. As she runs, she scans the area for something, and she meets Nino's eyes.

Nino follows her hazel gaze, amazed.

Alya noun (f): smart, resourceful, at times incredible young woman with the unique ability to capture the heart of a NINO.

Nino snaps out of his daze when Alya trips and falls on her outstretched arms. He gasps.

"Alya!"

Without thinking, Nino sprints for her. Almost there, the akuma shakes off its stupor and zeroes in on Alya to glare in her direction, sending two brilliant lasers her way. Nino manages to jump in-between Alya and the brilliant green beams at the very last moment, shielding his classmate with his body. As he drops to the floor, his arms find their way around her, then everything goes dark.


As a pair of arms wrap around her, everything turns black, and then the world is tumultuous again, tumbling around, and she is falling. The sensations scald Alya, who is shocked by the uncanny resemblance to a crisis past. Before she can properly recall which, she reaches the end of her tumble and lands roughly on her side.

Dust flies. Alya coughs roughly into the hard ground. She rolls onto her front, pushes herself up, and stumbles to her feet, worried numb and exhilarated stupid. There's a pounding in her head that sends the world spinning, or the other way around, but both clear up too quickly to be a real nuisance.

Bracing herself against a wall, she gives herself a brief once-over to check for any injuries. She doesn't find any on the outside, thankfully, thanks to a cute leather jacket and some outdated pants that protected her skin during the fall. The reality of her wardrobe change cuts through her somewhat addled mind, sparking some abrupt recollection.

That's right, she thinks, I was filming the akuma in the theater when she hit— Alya's eyes widen. Nino!

She's got to make sure he's okay. Alya whips her head around to survey her surroundings, but this reveals very little about where she is. It's dark, and dingy, and now that she's thinking about it, it smells right awful. The acrid and unmistakeable scent of decay fills the air; it's so potent, she can almost taste it in the back of her throat. It makes her want to flip her body inside out just to be rid of it.

She feels kind of guilty; she was just trying to put some distance between herself and Nino so she could receive her miraculous, if needed. She hadn't expected Nino to follow her into the madness, let alone try to take the hit for her when things got tough. They were friends, but she didn't think they were close enough for him to… especially not after their conversation the other day. Seems like she may have misjudged him.

Despite the situation, the corner of her mouth lifts optimistically; you don't see brave, good people like that much in your life. She'd have to do something nice for him after things go back to normal, even if she hadn't asked to be saved.

It is quickly made clear that the only source of light in this pit she's in is a weak ray that barely reaches into the depths of it. Alya squints at where the light touches down in here, and she can suddenly see there's a large mound beneath where the light lets in. Her eyes are still adjusting, but the wall of black gives way to a foggy depth, and she can see the entire area.

Now that she looks at it all at once, it's strangely familiar, actually. She is in a movie, she remembers, it likely is familiar. But what is this place from?

She steps away from the wall to investigate further when she hears a rough shuffling sound. Senses heightened due to blindness, though the noise echoes all around in the pit, she pinpoints the source as coming from her right. Her eyes dart there. She sees the ragged outline of a human body push itself up from the ground, its movements stiff and disjointed. Alya takes a step back.

She squints her eyes at the person with an acute awareness of the wall just behind her and the walls surrounding her. There isn't a lot of room for maneuvering down here. Assuming they have mal intentions, she'll have to be quick on her feet.

They step into the light. Oof, they've seen better days.

It looks like a guy that's been festering in his own blood. He probably has been. His entire body is covered in thick layers of dirt and dust, like he's laid untouched for months, his skin a dangerously dead pallor and ragged with decay. As his voice takes shape and strange words form from his damaged mouth, the zombie feels his face, studies what remains of himself with bewilderment. "I don't know what's happening to me. No pulse."

Alya eyes him with baited breath as he becomes more animated with his woolly ponderings. He hasn't noticed her yet, but he turns himself round to inspect his surroundings, so he will notice her soon. "And, of course, there's the question of lividity."

A second of concentrating in her direction, and the zombie rubs near the dark pots where his eyes should be, voice tinged with recognition. "Ahh. Karen?"

Alya blinks once. Karen? What the fuck? Who's…?

The girl's eyes widen. Karen, familiar dark pit, zombie dude, freakish landing. It's coming back, it's on the tip of her tongue, which movie is this?

"Karen," The guy starts trying to shuffle-walk around the mound in the center to get to her. For every step he takes nearer to her, Alya takes a step in the opposite direction. They walk in a circle around each other, slowly, slowly, while Alya tries to drag up the name of the film she's been thrown into. The plot is coming back to her in vague pieces, it's one she hasn't seen in a long time.

"I never thought I would see you again," says the zombie, "Tell me, Karen, do you ever have second thoughts about us?"

Alya doesn't answer, just maintains their distance.

"Well, Karen?" he prompts her, not liking being ignored. She stays silent, his face morphs into something ugly. Suddenly, he jumps at her. "Don't you recognize me?"

Alya immediately jumps backward, but she doesn't measure right and ends up tripping over the edge of the mound when she lands. The zombie quickly closes in, gnashing all his three teeth and inky gums, hissing.

"Curtis?" the girl hazards, dredging up a name from the back of her mind as her hands fly through the dirt hastily searching for anything to use as a weapon. She finds purchase in a large bone with some rot still hanging off it. It's likely human, but she doesn't care— doesn't have the time.

The name gives the zombie pause, creating a window for Alya to take the large bone in both hands and swing it as hard as she can. She strikes him across the face, sending him reeling, tripping over himself and planting face-first into the stone mound. Jumping to her feet, Alya instantly swings twice more, bashing his head against the stone until it's all red, and then once more for good measure.

The zombie, presumably Curtis, flips onto his side, floundering, growling, spitting. "Karen!" his voice garbles after her as she runs up the mound and launches herself up the only path to escape: the hole she'd been dropped from. Her one hand still gripping the bone digs the pointed end of the thing into the slanted stone.

"I'm not Karen!" Alya shouts back despite knowing there's no point. She just needs to get some of the jitter out of her system so her hands can do what she needs them to. One hooks the bone in the corner between the ramp and the wall, the other scrambles to find a hold in any tiny groove. She pulls herself up out of the pit and up the ramp slowly, heart pounding, careful not to act too hastily but also careful not to be too careful, afraid to fail and fall back down.

Curtis' distorted, ravenous cries follow her all the way.


It's dark for what feels like a long time, though he is strangely aware that only a handful of minutes come and go. There's a dim pain in his arms and legs that grows more intense as they do— at their leisure, may he add. It approaches a maddening level just as light emerges from behind his eyelids and an immense pressure is lifted from his body.

"Oh my god,"

His ears pick up the subtle quiver in this voice, the airy, breathless quality. He can even hear the fullness of her lips in the way she forms her words. Nino would recognize the distinct sound of Alya's voice without all of that anyway, though; on top of how familiar she's become, there is no mistaking the distinct accent that betrays her rearing in Martinique.

Purposeful hands release his bindings and, feeling immensely weak, Nino falls forward onto the ground with a heavy thump. He doesn't flinch or make a sound, numb to it. It'd feel weird if there weren't more pressing concerns, not least of which is the fact that he feels like he's on the verge of death.

"Nino?"

A coppery tang is in the air. Nino snorts past an unwell feeling to catch a whiff of it. The scent is shockingly acrid and clear, he can almost taste it on the roof of his mouth. It's unpleasant. Mixed in, there are several distinct smells, few of which are actually decent, the strongest one coming from the girl that rolls him over onto his back. She smells like spices and rot. It hurts Nino's head to take in, but he can do nothing about it.

He just barely manages to flutter an eye open to glance at their surroundings. They're in a dark concrete chamber, and everything is cold. He feels a little crazy, a little lost, and finds it hard to focus. Something's definitely not right with him, but all Nino cares about is dragging his eyes over to Alya's, finding her gaze above his.

When he manages that much, she's more difficult to read than usual. Her warm hands frame his face as she focuses her widened hazel eyes on him, lips parted slightly and her brows pulling together. Is she calculating or freaking?

"Alya?" he answers her blearily.

"Hey," She leans further over him, eyes blinking fast a couple times, searching his for something. Probably life. "Can you see me?"

"You…" Nino pauses to breathe. He's winded even though he hasn't done anything. He fights to open his eyes further and really take her in, but only one succeeds part way, scanning her lazily. "You look like shit."

Alya huffs, but he can see her relaxing a little. "I might deserve that," she notes lightly. "But hey, it could be worse. I could look like you."

"Yeah," If the way he feels right now is any indication, he looks three times as bad as she does. "I feel like I died."

"You almost did, you lost a lot of blood— and you're still losing some," Alya's eyes flit over his arms and legs, where he felt the most intense pain, before returning to his eyes. "I found you in time to slow things down. You're welcome by the way."

"Oh yes, thanks," Nino huffs. He's not too injured to be sarcastic, it seems. He's really not sure where it comes from. "Don't know where I'd be without you."

Alya tries to sit him up, but his body rejects the idea. He groans and, through panting, tells her to slow down. She obliges, albeit with an antsy air about her. "You know, you don't want me running into danger, but taking the hits for me like this doesn't exactly discourage me."

"Who's taking hits for you?" Nino retorts, rising slowly. Nearly all the way up, a heavy pain floods his body from his arms and legs up to his head and Nino balls up the side of his face. He grits his teeth, pushes through it. "I just acted without thinking." he tells her.

His retort is received silently. Alya pushes him the rest of the way up and Nino takes a sharp breath in, exhausted from the effort it's taken to sit up and shocked at the pain. Nino rests his head on Alya's shoulder. He looks up at her from the corner of his eyes, dimly aware that he isn't wearing a shirt and his skin is damp with sweat, but he doesn't have the energy to care. "You know what the hell is going on?" he grumbles.

"I'm pretty sure we're in the movie 'Blade.'" Alya answers. One of her hands rests on his back, the other on his shoulder. Nino ignores the level of comfort.

"'Blade?'"

"Mhm. Given what's happened to us since Theatra hit us—"

"Theatra?"

"Yes," Alya affirms, then raises an eyebrow at him testily. "What, you have a better name?"

"I don't know, but it's not Theatra. Damn, I thought you were supposed to be the clever one."

"For a guy who can hardly breathe, you sure have a lot to say."

"Sorry," says Nino, sounding genuinely apologetic despite his pinched expression, "I'm just grumpy 'cause I got stabbed."

"Anyways," Alya just refrains from rolling her eyes, "I've deduced that we're in 'Blade,' the vampire movie, and I'm playing the role of Karen," She succeeds in saying this without her voice faltering, but the knot between her eyebrows betrays her worry as she continues. "While you're playing the role of Blade."

"You sure?"

"I remember this part," Alya nods, "It's just before the climax. Frost is trying to resurrect some vampire god and wipe out the human race. Which is just stupid, if you ask me."

"Damn."

Alya is quiet for a moment as Nino collects his thoughts. Man, to get stuck in a horror movie sucks, pun not intended. He supposes he's glad it's something more tame like vampires instead of wild mess like poltergeists or the presence of Satan, but still. He still has to endure the gnarly boss fight, because he remembers how that goes, and it's going to take a while to scrub it from the insides of his eyelids after personally seeing it through.

"How do we get out?" he asks. It's more productive than the dark thoughts swirling around his head.

Alya admits, "I'm not sure. My best guess is to follow the plotline. Maybe resolving the story will release us."

"Okay, alright… What's the first step? I don't… my brain isn't remembering."

Alya is quiet for a moment. She opens her mouth, then closes it without a word. Her tongue darts out to lick her bottom lip before worrying it. Distantly, Nino notes that he has never really had the urge to kiss someone until now. "Nino," she says slowly, "you have to drink my blood."

Nino is still panting softly, so he isn't sure if he heard her correctly. "...Excuse me?"

"See,"

Nino flinches in surprise as Alya's thumb and index fingers glide under his top lip and push it back to expose his teeth, and he knows it's only weird if you make it weird, but seriously, it feels so strange and she didn't even ask—

"You've got fangs, boy. You're Blade. You're supposed to save the day. Keep up." Stressed tone of voice aside, Nino can tell she's getting over his injuries. He doesn't think he can blame her.

"Yah, but..." he argues weakly.

"No buts. We're not walking away from this alive if you don't counter your bloodloss."

"Where's your undying faith in Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Alya diverts her gaze to the side. "It's recently come to my attention that their powers of investigation and planning aren't exactly watertight. But that's besides the point."

"Okay, I know," Nino takes a deep breath, shuts his eyes firmly, "okay."

He has to come to terms with being the protagonist, with everything banking on him, no big deal. He can do that. In fact, he's already done it. It's done. (If only it were that easy.)

"Come on, we don't have much time," Alya says, readjusting Nino in her arms. "I know this isn't real life, but I don't want to find out what happens if we don't fulfill the movie's plot."

"Yeah, I got it,"

Alya collects her hair to one side, exposing the slope of her neck and baring it to him. Nino stares at it blankly; suddenly, he can't think. He's hit by a bus and all his awareness ceases to exist for a second, and for just a brief moment, he is unequivocally overwhelmed.

Nino's throat is dry when he swallows. "I don't think I can do this." he confesses.

"You can," Alya looks at him through the bottom of her lenses with determined eyes. Somehow, she's ready to see this through. Tilting her head back, she beckons him to replenish his strength from her.

The boy's eyes zero in on her major artery. His teeth begin to ache with a ferociousness that won't be ignored, his heart beat livening from it's sluggish pace as the agitated rhythm of his crush's own heart reaches his ears. His breathing labors as he resists the powerful urge to latch onto her. "You don't understand. I think I might kill you." he warns.

"I trust you, Nino. But if you really can't trust yourself, then trust in me. I'll stop you if it's too much, okay?"

Nino nods for a lack of words. He leans forward over her frame, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Spices and rot. Maybe if he focuses on the rot, he won't want to drain her so badly?

Nino parts his lips slowly but sinks his fangs in fast.

Alya gasps softly but he doesn't pull away. Her hand rises to clutch at his back and at her touch, an intense heat surges through his veins, burning like a bolt of lightning. The brightness sears through his mind, simultaneously giving and taking clarity. It pulls a strange sound out of him, one of shock and embarrassing satisfaction. Trying not to huff in her ear, Nino holds her back, trying to be comforting, but her breath shudders and for a second it sounds like pleasure

Reality slips away like a rug torn from under him and then fades back in like the unveiling of a movie title, all in the span of a short moment. The experience is off-putting after everything that's happened. Nino groans and shakily pushes against the floor, revealing Alya also on the floor, looking up at him through glasses knocked askew by their return to the real world. Her breaths are deep, and her hands are planted against the ground, like she's trying to stabilize herself.

"Well," someone says, and Nino flinches, head swiveling up to see Chat Noir with his hands and chin resting on the top of his staff, watching them through lidded eyes. "would you have a look at you two,"

Nino blinks, and whips his head around to look at Alya again. This time, she stares back up at him with clarity sharpening her unreadable expression, and Nino flushes from head to toe.

Before he can say anything, or do anything, Ladybug looks over and, looking curiously miffed, stomps over, promptly yanks Nino up by his collar, and plops him down a good foot away from Alya, glowering without a word— but her stern look makes it clear it's not for lack of something to say.

"Milady, you're no fun." Chat pouts.

"And you're unbelievable, Chaton." Ladybug frowns, turning her reproach on him.

"A little entanglement never hurt anyone."

"Tell that to Dark Cupid."

"Why is it always business with you?"

"One of us has to be about it,"

Nino, dazed, watches Ladybug and Chat Noir go back and forth. A minute in, he catches movement from the corner of his eye.

It's Alya; quietly, she picks herself up and dusts herself off, straightening her clothes in a compulsive manner. She takes care with the collar of her shirt especially, smoothing her fingers over it until it is crisp. When she's done, she steals a glance at Nino.

He catches her eyes, and they stare at one another. One of Alya's hands rises to press against her neck awkwardly, in a way unlike her, and the significance of it doesn't escape Nino.

Nervously, he hazards a smile. It feels wobbly.

"IIII gotta go. Home." she says. She looks away.

"Ah— yeah," Nino starts lifting himself up and Alya starts walking away. "Me too. See you tomorrow?"

Her expression is tight when she looks over her shoulder, palm still pressed to her neck, and supplies a weak smile. "Yeah."


This got away from me. To be perfectly honest, the grittiness of this story is surprising me. I didn't have this in mind when I first set out on this journey, scout's honor. I may have to up some ratings…

The Last Airbender in the listing of horrific movies is a little joke on the live action film The Last Airbender directed by M. Night Shamalayan. I know we gotta let that man have his mistake and move on with our lives, but it's kinda hard because the Last Airbender is a very very good show, and that movie he made was NOT what it was supposed to be. Independently it's fine, but it can't justly be associated with the official universe and story.

On a more positive note, next chapter has more AlyaPace, which is the reason why this fic ever started. I'll try to update sooner.