Living With Agreste

Chapter 44- Sympathy

Warning: Domestic Abuse -there is a warning before/after the scene. Stay safe!

When they finally pulled apart, they were breathing heavily.

"U-Uh..." The boy broke the silence with a groggy voice, and he had to clear his throat to hide his embarrassment. "I have no idea what just happened."

Alya pulled the boy's face, so she looked her in the eye. With a sweet and kind look, she let out a small apology. "I'm sorry."

Nino tensed. He was confused, but for some reason, had some idea what it was for.

"Nino Lahiffe..." Alya took on her regular stern expression, "If you ever don't tell me shit like this again, I'll kick your ass."

The boy nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Alya giggled, heading behind her to open the door. Just as she was about to turn the lock, she felt Nino hug her from behind. Now, her own shyness set in.

"N-Nino!"

"I love you, Alya Cesaire."

The girl let out a small gasp, stunned at how real it sounded.

"Hey!" Turning around, she felt her face heat up, "You can't just say that- and with a straight face too!"

"I'm serious," Nino said, grabbing her hands. "I'm sorry that... that this happened."

Alya wrapped her hand around his and nodded. "It's... It's fine."

She felt all of her worry, for once, seem to drift away. Not only had she been worried about Chat's situation and Marinette, but she'd been worried about her relationship with Nino too. And after this incident, even though they kissed and made up, it really didn't feel like everything had gone back to how it used to be. Their actions were the same, but rather than flowing as they once had, things felt stilted instead. But right now, being next to this boy who she'd been with for 3 long years, and never once did they say it so seriously, she really did know that she loved him. She did love him.

"I love you too."

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

After pulling the kids inside and getting them to safety, Alya, now Rena Rouge, gave her boyfriend a hug. The two had agreed that it was best that Ladybug received as much help as possible. Nino was unaware of Chat Noir's situation. Still, he could tell that the akuma was much more severe, so he didn't ask any questions when his girlfriend decided to go help. It was her job, after all, no matter what was going on between them, he couldn't keep her from doing what's best.

Rena climbed up to the nearest building to get a clear view of what was going on. She knew Ladybug needed her, but she had no idea where to find her, let alone help her. Pulling out her flute, she tried to contact the hero through the phone ability. It rang a few times, but there was no answer, meaning the girl was probably busy fighting her off on her own. And even if she was a strong hero, she couldn't do it on her own. It had been a while since Alya had even seen Ladybug in action. She couldn't remember if Adrien said anything about what was going on with Ladybug or not. Her memory was a little foggy, and her head hurt when she tried to think about it too much. She guessed it was only because of the events earlier that day, but she couldn't be sure.