Nino
We never think that we're beautiful, no matter how many times someone tells us that. If we do, we're self confident, maybe not too much, but close. Nino didn't believe he was beautiful too, even if Alya told him that. She didn't, but that wouldn't change nothing.
Nino and Alya were, before everything else, friends. Love built above a strong friendship have everything to last forever and be able to survive anything, and when neither of them have the need of being beautiful the odds of everything working out skyrocket. But there are things tha-
RING RING
-at can damage such lo-
RING RING RING
-ve, and we're about to see one of them. Waking up your loved one at six A.M. Never do that.
Nino was sleepy, tired, angry and indifferent all at the same time. Half of his hand tried to smash the phone while picking it up and the other half almost let it fall.
"Yes?" aksed Nino yawnig.
"Nino, are you ready yet? We need to put out plan on march!" said a female voice that resembles Alya's.
"What is wrong with you? It's like six in the morn-" started Nino.
"I know, I know! " answered Alya "But we need time to put everything to work!"
"-ing of a Saturday! Do you get it? It's Saturday!"
After complaining a lot and almost falling asleep twice, Nino got up and dressed to meet with Alya. Today they would get Marinette and Adrien together whatever it took.
As you may understand, almost a week separated the former chapter and this one, but the actual difference between today and the day it was a chapter ago is that today is Saturday. After a battle, Rena and Ladybug would go towards Dupain-Cheng's bakery and Carapace and Chat would go towards the Agreste Mansion. It happened twice in to very minor fights I won't narrate.
After Nino getting ready, he realized that the job was only half done. Wayzz was still asleep like a turtle in winter. Taking him out of bed was complicated, but eventually worked out.
It was early, but the cafés and restaurants were already opening. There was already people on the streets and cars in the road contributing to global warming. A normal day in Paris, except the fact that Alya and Nino were about to join two souls which fate was to be together. Paris was now crossing its fingers.
He quickly got to Place des Vosges, that was yet empty. Nino aproached the fountain, that was turned off during the night to save energy, and looked at the water. He never saw any fish there, he wasn't expecting to see them this time, but looking at the calm water relaxed him, helped him focus and convincing himself that Alya's plan was going to work.
The battle plan, as Nino called it, was composed in three steps. The first one, they would get both Marinette and Adrien to come to the park, not knowing that the other would be there too. The second, Nino and Alya would leave the park for a few minutes with some lame excuse but ask them to stay. The third and most ridiculous part of the plan was "letting the magic happen". Alya was convinced that if Marinette and Adrien got to be alone for some time they would fix themselves and start dating out of nowhere. It worked with Nino and Alya, so who was him to discuss?
Alya
Alya was running to the park. He though he saw Nino walking in in that moment, so she was just a few seconds later than him. Not bad considering he was a lot closer to the Place des Vosges than she was.
"Hey sleepyhead, are you ready for this?" she said while getting closer to the fountain.
Nino, that appeared to be in trance looking to the fountain, turned back and smiled at Alya.
"Hey girl, I was born ready. Time to make this happen." he replied.
They made up excuses to bring them to the park, excuses to leave and where to go watch them when the time would come. She started to understand Nino when he called her plan a "battle plan". Too much time with Mari...
"Ok, you call Adrien first, we wait a bit, and then I call Marinette." she declared.
Nino nodded and picked up his phone.
Adrien
Adrien was already awake. It was seven and a half now and he had taken his breakfast and was going to do some homework, hen his phone started to ring. It was Nino.
Adrien picked it up and answered the call.
"Hey ma dude!" he heard from the other side "What's up?"
"Hey Nino." he answered "Everything's cool. You?"
"Dude, you have to check this out. Come to Place des Vosges ASAP. I need to talk with you about something very important."
Adrien got a little confused. Something very important? What could it be? Our poor kitty didn't have the slightest idea that the smell he was sensing was a snare for him to fall into a trap.
"Sure, I'll be there in no time." he answered.
"Yeah, could you please give me an estimate?" Nino asked.
"Give you what...?" questioned Adrien.
"How long would you take to get here?" asked Nino, a bit bored.
"I- maybe fifteen minutes. Why do you ask?" questioned Adrien.
"Curiosity. See you in fifteen." said Nino, hanging up the phone.
Marinette
Marinette was in her room, just finishing getting dressed. She planned to go to Champ de Mars and work in her costume for Mr Agreste's party. The design was going well and she though she could get it ready in a couple more weeks. It would be her master piece, in comparison with her other works. And then we phone ringed. She had recieved a text message from Alya.
"Meet me at Place des Vosges. Very important. Come ASAP." could be read in Marinette's screen. She replied saying that she was going down and would be there before she knew it.
She left the bakery by the front door and crossed the street. In less than a minute, she crossed the gates of the park and saw Alya by the fountain, looking at her phone. She approached her silently, but Alya noticed her and waved. She looked tense... but maybe it was just Marinette's imagination.
"Hey Alya." she said "So, what was the so important thing you had to tell me?"
"Girl, check this out" she said, putting her hand inside her bag.
Marinette was curious. What could Alya have in her bag that was so important? She was expecting, but soon Alya's smile started fading into a frown. Something was wrong.
"Oh no, where is it?" she asked to the bag.
Marinette was trying to contain the laugh. That happened so many times to her that Alya started saying that loosing things was her trademark.
"I should have left it in my locker in school yesterday..." she said sadly "Do you think that it would be against the rules if I-"
"-broke into school using you know what on a Saturday during day?" completed Marinette "Yes, it would be against the rules with Master Fu, but if it really important I'll allow that."
Alya's eyes grew out of happiness. Everything would work out after all.
"See you in a sec then." said she, running out of the park.
Adrien
The limousine stopped at the gate of the park and Adrien exited it. His bodyguard went to park the car, while Adrien entered in the Place and met with Nino.
"Hey ma dude! Glad you come." he said.
"Hey Nino. So, are you telling me now why you needed my on a Sunday morning?" asked Adrien,
"Dude, you're not going to believe what Alya found yesterday." said Nino, looking back and being surprised.
"Something wrong?" asked Adrien.
"A-Alya should be here... Where the hell is she?" asked him.
Adrien looked around. No sign of Alya.
"I'm going to look for her. You wait here, it won't take longer." declared Nino.
Nino
Nino was running as fast as he could. He hid behind a tree and took his cap out so Wayzz could fly freely.
"Wayzz, shell on!" he screamed, transforming himself into Carapace.
He then quickly jumped and got to the top of a building near the Place undetected. In the roof, Rena Rouge was already sitting with her flute pointed at the park and watching what was going on in there in a small screen.
"So, something yet?" asked Carapace.
Rena looked back, checking who was there. As she verified that it was her boyfriend, she turned back to the screen.
"Any minute now."
Marinette
Marinette sat on the border of the fountain, waiting for Alya to come back. Why was she taking so long?
Suddenly, a blond boy appeared in front of her. She didn't care, until she heard his voice.
"Care if I seat with you?" the boy said.
As Marinette looked up, she saw Adrien. What a surprise. Neither a bad or a good one, just a surprise.
"S-sure." stuttered her.
She had stuttered out of surprise, she said herself. Adrien didn't meant anything to her.
"So... what are you doing here?" asked her.
"Waiting for Nino and Alya. They had something to show me." he replied.
"How curious. Alya had something to show me too. Could it be the same thing?" she questioned to herself.
"Maybe." answered him, not understanding that he wasn't the recipient of the question.
They sat together for five minutes. Then those five minutes turned into six, and seven, and then ten, and fifteen, and they they noticed they were sitting there for twenty minutes.
"They aren't coming, are they?" he asked.
"No, I don't think they are." answered her, not moving.
"Maybe... Maybe they are trying to say us something." he said.
She looked at him. It was the first time in a week that she took a good look at him.
"Like...?"
"Like we should stop not talking to each other." he declared.
Her heart stopped for a moment. Why were her hands shaking? Did Adrien get a hair cut? Was the smell she was sensing a new perfume?
"I-I... Maybe you're right." she said sadly.
It was her fault... It was her fault that they ruined their friendship. How could she forgive herself? If she have kept her mouth shut, they wouldn't be there. Now their friends were trying to fix that. They were just great. They took their time to fix a friendship.
"I'm sorry, Adrien. What I said... I didn't mean to hurt you..." she said.
"Yeah... I didn't mean to hurt you with what I did... I'm sorry too." he replied.
And they hugged. If you asked them, they would say they hugged as friends. But that hug... That hug was proper of lovers, not friends.
Alya
Alya wasn't believing... Her plan worked! They were together!
"NINO! NINO! NINO! DO YOU SEE THIS?!" she screamed
Nino looked at her. She wasn't supposed to call him "Nino" when he was transformed. Maybe that was why they should keep their identities secret. To prevent girlfriends from ranning out.
"Hey, Rena Rouge." he said, giving extra emphasis in the 'Rena Rouge' part "What's going on."
"Sorry, Carapace, but it's an emergency. Look!" she said, pointing at the screen.
From that angle, either Marinette and Adrien were kissing or hugging. Alya convinced herself that they were kissing, while Nino kept a more conservative approach and said they were hugging. Yet, not a mere hug. That was the hug.
"Let's get down there, right now!" he said, euphoric.
In less than anything, they got to the park, and saw Marinette and Adrien sitting together in the fountain. When they noticed the two suspects of always, they got up and approached them.
"Hey Marinette, hey Adrien. What are you doing here?" asked Alya, in a sarcastic voice.
"Cut it, Alya." quickly replied Marinette "We know what you did."
Alya and Nino were smiling.
"Yeah, I mean, what you did was so great, guys. We wouldn't have solved this without you." said Adrien
"We know, ma dude." replied Nino, not yet understanding what Adrien truly meant.
"From now on, we won't wreck out friendship up ever again." declared Marientte.
Wait, what? Did she say... friendship?
"Yes, from now on, we're just one thing." said Adrien.
"Yes, we're just friends." replied her.
"We're just friends." repeated him.