A little late, but happy ninette week! (Who would I be if I didn't participate in my own ship week? Check out @ninette-week )
Prompt: Last chance. Day 1.
Nino and Marinette were watching Doctor Who. They had invited Adrien and Alya, but Adrien had a dinner and Alya had to babysit her sisters.
When the Doctor faded away while talking to Rose Tyler, both Nino and Marinette yelled “No!” for different reasons.
Marinette was nearly in tears about the scene. “He didn’t get to tell her,” she said.
“He had plenty of time to tell her!” Nino countered. “They spend two minutes just talking and then he decides it’s his last chance at saying it? Give me a break. He even had plenty of time before she got trapped in another dimension.”
“You don’t understand, Nino,” Marinette insisted. “When you’re in love, it’s so hard to say it if you haven’t before!”
“It can’t be that hard. Look.” Nino turned away from the television, to Marinette. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he started, copying the Doctor, “I…”
Then Nino hesitated. Looked away, rubbed the back of his neck. His face darkened with a blush.
Marinette watched with wide eyes.
“Nino,” she said. “Do you—”
“Anyway!” Nino interrupted, pressing play on the remote. “We didn’t finish the episode.”
Marinette made a grab for the remote. Nino held it up out of her reach. Marinette basically tackled him. She nearly landed on top of him, but her hands became firmly planted on both sides of his head.
They both froze.
Nino looked anywhere but at Marinette. “Fine, I guess you’re right,” he finally said.
“Huh?” Marinette said, forgetting what they had been arguing about, due to their close proximity.
Nino’s face warmed up again. “That it’s harder to say it if you’ve never said it before.” He still wasn’t looking at her.
Marinette sat up, letting Nino sit up. She leaned against him. They could both feel his heart hammering, but neither moved away.
Ninette week V1 is approaching! From the 3rd of May to the 9th of May come join us in celebrating this sweet rare pair! Feel free to jump in with whatever prompt strikes you, with whatever medium you prefer. Post it and tag with #ninetteweek2021 and we'll reblog it here.
Here are the prompts:
Day 1: Inspiration
Day 2: Hero
Day 3: Lights
Day 4: Party
Day 5: Create
Day 6: Protect
Day 7: Cinema
Send an ask in if you have any questions. Cant wait to see you what you come up with! See you soon! :)
Nino rolled onto his back and held his new phone over his chest. He and Marinette had agreed to enroll in a mobile service plan together with their first paychecks from their new jobs so they had an easier way to communicate than making the trip down the block each time they wanted to talk.
Nino: Something happen or just not tired?
He watched the typing bubbles come up and then disappear again. Something else then. After a few moments they reappeared and were quickly followed by a message.
Marinette: Homesick, I think
He and Marinette landed in Bausave thirty-nine days ago. Gerald had helped them get set up in tiny studio apartments in what appeared to be the lower class part of town from what Nino could gather. Marinette had been hired at a grocery store bakery and he found work at a small family-owned restaurant.
Nino: Do you want me to come over?
He frowned at the screen. Maybe he shouldn’t have sent that. It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to go over if she needed him to because he had a few times now but…
He turned on his side and reached for his old phone on his nightstand, dropping the new one in its place. It was little more than a brick as far as functionality was concerned in this dimension but he’d had his charger in his backpack, which made the trip through the portal when they lost their transformations so at least he could keep it powered. He pulled up his photos and scrolled through the pictures of Alya. He missed her. He missed her voice and her laugh and the way she made everything around her come to life just through the sheer force of her personality.
Falling in love with Alya had been easy and wonderful and amazing. She pushed him to grow as a person and become better. And in the late hour in the darkness of his room, Nino let himself admit that he might not ever see her again, the small admission a tight ball in his stomach. It had been over a month now and there was no indication that they were going home.
Marinette adamantly demanded they talk to all of the others who had come through the portal before them. She and Nino spent the first few days of their new lives going from place to place and gathering testimonials. They went to the field they were found in and left letters for Alya and Adrien, keeping them anchored in a pile of rocks so the wind couldn’t claim them. He’d watched the hope and determination in Marinette’s eyes drain little by little as each person told them the same thing.
There was no way back.
There were other places to travel in this dimension, a whole world beyond Bausave but even the ones who had left for a while came back, claiming the city felt the most like home. Maybe it was the portal or maybe it wasn’t. There was no way to know.
Nino had no doubt that Alya and Adrien would work on a way to bring them back. He thought of the engagement ring Adrien had been so proud to show him only a few days before the akuma battle. He wanted help planning a big engagement scavenger hunt and inviting their friends to be a part of it. It was just the kind of thing Marinette would’ve loved. It all felt so long ago now.
He scrolled to a picture of him and Alya and remembered that Trixx and Wayzz were there too even though they didn’t appear on the screen. He wondered if somehow Wayzz was still back home with Alya. Maybe he would be able to help her figure out what happened. He hoped he was still there. Nino rubbed at the scarred skin of his wrist. It was too depressing to think of other possibilities.
He came to a picture of their group together. Nino had one arm around Alya’s waist and the other across Marinette’s shoulders with Adrien on her other side. It was from years before, brought over from his old phone and dumped into the newer photo album. They were all so young. He wasn’t sure Marinette and Adrien had even been dating at that point. Probably not if the blush across her cheeks was any indication. It hadn’t been long before that then that he was the one blushing because of her.
Nino quickly banished that train of thought before it had time to gain any traction. Those feelings were from years ago; they didn’t mean anything now. Alya and Adrien would find a way to bring them back home. They just needed to be patient.
He jumped a little when his other phone buzzed against the nightstand. He switched them out again and squinted against the brighter screen.
Marinette: Can I come over there?
______________________________
There was a crisp bite to the air and Nino wondered if the season was beginning to change. In Paris, it would’ve been hot for at least another month but as the night breeze brushed against the bare skin of his arms, he realized that might not be the case here. He caught sight of Marinette a few steps from her building. She was hugging herself as she walked and her expression didn’t change when she saw him.
“Getting cooler,” he said in greeting, falling into step beside her to finish the short trek to his apartment. “Almost feels like fall.”
“You didn’t need to meet me. It’s a short walk.”
Nino shrugged. “I don’t like the thought of you being out here this late by yourself.”
Marinette nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you then.”
He ducked his head and held the door to his building open for her.
“And you’re right, I think it is getting cooler.” Marinette waited for him to come inside and followed him up the stairs. “I guess we need to think of buying a jacket and some long sleeve shirts since we’re not sure how long it’ll be until we go home.”
“Yeah.”
“The bus runs to the mall on Wednesdays, I think. Maybe we could go then?”
“I think I have to work.” Nino unlocked his apartment door and they went inside.
“Oh, okay.”
“But, uh, I could see if Steven is willing to switch days with me if you’ve already got Wednesday off. It’d be nice to have a day at the mall,” he added quickly, unable to take the disappointment she was trying so hard to keep out of her tone.
Marinette gave him a tentative smile. “Sure, if it isn’t too much trouble.”
“For you, Mari? Of course not,” he grinned, flopping down on his secondhand couch and grabbing the remote. “What should we watch tonight?”
She took the other end of the couch. “Let’s see if that cooking show is on where they have to wear ridiculous costumes. I couldn’t stop laughing during the western one.”
“Ridiculous cooking show it is.” Nino flipped through channels until he found the right one. “You know, I think I might actually like this more. Back home, there are way too many channels. You always know what you’re going to find here.”
“I’m sure it gets old after a while.” Marinette curled up and rested her head on the arm of the couch. “But maybe not.”
“You never know.”
They sat in silence for almost an hour as the small television played before them and the night wore on.
“Did you know they don’t have strawberries here?” Marinette asked, voice soft. “I was working on an order and mentioned that strawberries would be a nice addition to the cake and Daphne had no idea what a strawberry is. They just don’t exist here.”
“That’s really weird.”
“I know. I really miss strawberries.”
Nino didn’t feel the need to tell her that strawberries weren’t really what she missed. He really missed strawberries too.
______________________________
“I should go,” Marinette yawned. She rubbed at her eyes and Nino saw black smudges under them when she lowered her hands. It was inexplicably adorable.
“Just take my bed,” he suggested. “The sun will be up soon anyway. Sleep for a few hours and then you can go home.”
“It’s not a long walk,” she argued tiredly but didn’t move towards the door.
“Stop being stubborn.” Nino’s words were clipped by his own yawn and he ushered her to his bed. “We stayed up too late.”
“Stupid cooking show with its captivating gimmicks,” Marinette muttered, looking at his rumpled sheets. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” he nodded, already shuffling to the couch. “Night, Marinette.”
“Morning, Nino,” she replied, crawling into his sheets and promptly falling asleep.
______________________________
Marinette was gone when Nino woke up to his phone alarm. He grimaced as he stretched. The couch was too short for him to sleep on and his neck and back would pay the price today.
A note was scrawled on the back of a take-out menu on his counter.
Thanks for letting me stay last night. It really helped. I hope you have a great day. Let me know about Wednesday. I’ll run by the field to check the letters today before work.
- Marinette
PS: You need a notepad so I don’t have to find a menu to write on every time.
PSS: I just realized I could’ve texted you instead of searching for something to write on for like 10 minutes and now I feel dumb.
Nino grinned and made his way to the shower, feeling lighter than he had since they’d arrived. He turned on the radio and hummed along to the song that was already becoming a familiar part of his routine. He stared at his reflection and the stubble that was coming in along his jaw. Pursing his lips, he lathered up shaving cream and worked on cleaning up the edges, leaving most of the stubble in place. He’d never let his facial hair grow before but this seemed as good a time as any to start.
With a spring in his step, Nino dressed and left his apartment, humming under his breath as he made his way down the street to work.
______________________________
Marinette couldn’t squash the nervous feeling as she walked down the street towards Nino’s restaurant with a small box in tow. She was on her break and only had fifteen more minutes to get back behind the counter of the bakery so she really needed to hurry. There was nothing wrong with bringing Nino a piece of cake to thank him for being a good friend through everything. It was a perfectly fine gesture. There was no reason to feel guilty about it.
She shifted the small box and briefly contemplated turning around and going back to the bakery. A roll of thunder rumbled above her and she began to hurry towards the restaurant. If it was going to rain on Nino’s walk home, he definitely deserved the slice of double chocolate cake she’d made for him.
Marinette ducked into the restaurant and felt eyes on her. The community was small enough that she was beginning to get used to hearing the murmured voices in her presence. People seemed nice enough about it at least, even though some were hesitant to make contact. She spotted Nino cleaning a table towards the back and quickly made her way to him.
“Hi.”
Nino looked up in a surprise, a genuine smile spreading across his lips. “Hi. What’s going on?”
She held out the box. “Thank you for last night,” she said, keeping her voice low. “It’s double chocolate. It has more of a rich taste than sweet so I think you’ll really like it.”
He took the box carefully from her hands. “You didn’t need to do this. You know I’m just as happy you’re here with me.”
Marinette wasn’t sure how to respond so she just nodded and glanced back toward the door, catching the eyes of several diners watching their exchange. “I need to get back to work but I just wanted to drop that off.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate it, Mari.”
“Sure,” she replied awkwardly. “Well, um, I’ll see you later, okay?” She stepped back and started towards the door, tripping over a table leg and flailing for a moment before she righted herself again. She squeezed her eyes shut, face dark red, and waved again before hurrying out of the restaurant.
“She’s cute,” Steven grinned on his way to the kitchen. “Is she single?”
Nino watched Marinette rush past the windows and couldn’t identify the feeling in his chest. “Not even a little bit, dude.”
Had to make this today after reading the latest chapter for @seasonofthegeek‘s Ninette AU story! My heart is wracked just trying to imagine what is going to happen next. You can read it here:
