Alya could not believe Marinette right now. Of course, a bunch of zoo animals running around wild and her getting locked in a cage weren't really Marinette's fault. Alya however decided if anyone was to blame for the awkward situation she was in, it was definitely her best friend.

Here she was, sitting in an empty animal cage next to the boy who had just told Marinette he was in love with Alya. It wasn't like Alya didn't like Nino, but she certainly didn't love him like that. He was like a brother to her. The two of them had known each other and had been close friends since they were children. Now things were going to be stiff and uncomfortable between the two of them. Like right now, the silence that hung in the air was awkward and suffocating.

"Um, so, did you happen to hear anything Marinette and I talked about?" Nino asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Yup. Every word." Alya's words were sharp as she was a little bitter at the moment. She didn't mean to take it out on Nino, he couldn't control how he felt. She was just upset that Marinette had insisted on setting them up and now they were stuck together for who knows how long.

"Oh, see, even the part when I said—"

"Even the part when you said you loved me." Alya finished for him and she saw his ears go red and him hang his head. He took a deep breath and began to speak again.

"Ok, so this is a little embarrassing, but I didn't actually mean what I said." Alya's head shot up and she looked over at Nino confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Adrien actually planned all of this out for me because I wanted to go out with Marinette. I got scared though and said I loved you when I got the chance to confess to her." Nino's cheek had a faint blush on them and Alya sighed. This was even worse! How was she going to tell Nino that Marinette was in love with his own best friend?

"Oh, well that makes thing a little less awkward, I guess…" Alya trailed off at the end of her sentence; she didn't know what to tell the poor boy.

"What's up? Is something wrong? You're actually being quiet for once." Nino smiled as Alya smacked his arm and laughed.

"Hey! I can be quiet sometimes!" Nino continued to laugh as Alya pouted.

"But seriously, what's on your mind, Wifi?" Nino smiled softly as Alya rolled at her eyes at the nickname Nino had taken to using. Ever since the two of them had been possessed by akumas, they would tease each other with affectionate nicknames from their villain forms. Alya had begun calling Nino, Bubbles, and he would call her Wifi.

"Well…it's just that, I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you this, but Marinette kinda…loves somebody else already." Alya watched as the playful smile faded from Nino's face and his expression turned sad.

"Oh…I didn't know…"

"I'm so sorry Nino. I wish there was something I could do but…" Alya's chest hurt right now. She always hated when her friends were sad. Ever since she was a child, she worked so hard to do everything in her power to make sure all her friends were happy. To see Nino so upset, and to know she couldn't do anything to fix it, it was like a knife to the heart.

"Hey, don't look so sad. I'll be fine, it's not the end of the world!" Nino smiled and poked at Alya, trying to get her to smile again.

"I know, but I just feel bad…I know it must feel terrible to have your heart broken…"

"Hey now, don't make me use force to bring that smile back." An evil grin grew onto Nino's face and Alya's eyes widened in terror.

"Nino, I swear, don't you even think about it!" Alya was cut short when Nino jumped at Alya and attacked her sides with quick fingers. Alya burst with loud laughter as Nino mercilessly tickled her stomach and sides.

"Nino! Stop! Come on! It-It's not funny!"

"What are you talking about, Wifi~? You seem to be laughing a lot right now." Nino continued tickling the squirming and laughing girl next to him. Eventually, Alya kicked at Nino's arms and the tickling assault stopped. The two teens laughed breathlessly, leaning against each other's shoulders. Alya rested her head on Nino's shoulder and he let his head rest on top of hers. The two continued to giggle silently.

The rest of their time together they talked about nothing in particular. They talked of movies and music, about Nino's DJ skills, Alya's blog, different TV shows and many other things that the both of them were interested in. However, after wondering for so long, Nino felt like he just had to ask the question that had been plaguing his mine.

"Hey, Alya?"

"Yeah?"

"Just out of curiosity, who does Marinette like? Do I know him? You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Nino and Alya were sitting close to each other now; their knees were leaning against each other.

"Oh well…I probably shouldn't tell you…but if I do, you have to swear not to tell anyone that you know! Not even Marinette can know I told you!"

"Alright, I promise." Nino held up his pinky and the two of them pinky swore.

"Ok…." Alya leaned in a little closer and whispered in Nino's ear, despite there being no one else around the, "It's Adrien!"

"What? Him, really? Well I guess that's why you were so upset earlier."

"Yeah, I knew it would hurt to know she loved your best friend." Alya sighed and Nino ruffled her hair lightly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Those two would probably be a lot cuter together than Marinette and I would be! You know, I could talk to Adrien about this if you want."

"Really?!" Alya's face lit up bright, "Well, as great as that would be, we should probably let Marinette make that decision."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Nino began to wonder about the girl leaning against him. Alya was really something special. He had never really noticed it before. She was cool and fun, and the two of them really got along well.

You know, she's pretty cute too. I like it when she smiles and laughs too…Nino's thoughts caused him to laugh a little and Alya looked up at him with a questioning look.

"You know, I never noticed how pretty your smile was." Nino spoke without really thinking and his face grew red. Alya's face changed colors to match Nino's.

"Uhh…" Nino wasn't sure what to say. What could he say to explain himself? He began to panic a little. Did he just ruin his friendship?

"Well, I guess you're pretty cute too, Bubbles." Alya was smiling playful at Nino's embarrassed state. Nino let out a sigh of relief and laughed lightly.

"You think I'm cute?"

"Sure, what's not to like?" The two of them laughed together and Nino hugged Alya's waist. Alya pressed a surprised little kiss on Nino's cheek and then scooted playfully away.

"Don't make me come over there and tickle you again." Nino said moving after Alya. She gasped and stood up.

"Don't you dare!" Nino stood up as well and chased after her around the cage they were in. He eventually caught her from behind by wrapping his arms tightly around her stomach as she laughed warmly. With Nino's arms still around her waist, Alya turned around to face him. She rested her hands on his shoulders and smiled up at him as they stayed in a comfortable silence. Without needing to say anything else, the two of them leaned in and pressed their lips together. The kiss was short and sweet. It wasn't any kind of special kiss, but to them it meant the world; it was a sign of change.

They stayed like that for the rest of their time locked in the cage. Wrapped together in each other's warmth. Laughing about everything that had happened leading up to these moments.

That was what happened while Marinette was away. Not that Alya was ever going to tell her friend that.