Hide And Seek

Chapter 4

“It’s been a while,” Nino began awkwardly.

He was sitting across from Alix at a small cafe near the school. Good neutral ground, because both of them didn’t know how to feel comfortable with the other. Yet.

They were awkward because there was betrayal and suspicion between them.

Alix smiled awkwardly, not really wanting to be there.

Nino sighed into his drink. “Look, I’m sorry. I know you probably don’t care much, but I am sorry. I can’t apologize to Marinette, but I wanted to apologize to you. Because I didn’t stand up for you or anyone else and I let everything happen so, yeah.”

Alix studied him again, still unsure. She didn’t even know why she was here if she was being honest with herself. Nino had lost himself, and she didn’t think he was a hero anymore. She used to look up to him, how he stood up for Adrien and Marinette, and Alya, only to watch him start to sink into himself and stand behind Alya as she tore into her old friends. The death of a hero.

Nino had lost what made him a good turtle, and Marie had told her why so that she wouldn’t fall into the same path. She didn’t know if he could ever come back from that, and she didn’t really want to try.

But it was the right thing to do, because Nino knew what he had done wrong, and was so far willing to fix it. And that is what earned you a second chance.

“I forgive you I guess, but I won’t forget.”

He nodded at her declaration like he had expected nothing less from her. “I know, and I wouldn’t expect anything less. I know Lila’s a liar, even if it took a while, but could you tell me what it was like?”

Now Alix was confused. “What was what like?”

“Being outcasted and isolated, tell me how much it hurt, and tell me the reasons you knew Lila was a liar. I never want to fail so horribly again, and I want you to be able to get that off your chest.”

Nino’s eyes were understanding. He was offering to let her vent, unload all the frustration and loneliness onto him. Maybe it was that that made Alix finally trust him, or maybe it was just the sincerity in his eyes. How he’d been taking steps to get rid of anyone holding him back. How he wanted to understand what he’d let happen.

So Alix smiled, a genuine one this time. “Okay.”

So she did, she told him about the weird in-between phase. Where she turned her back on Lila, and Max and Kim didn’t quite trust her yet. When she had no one to rely on, and how hard it was to push through that until she’d earned forgiveness from Max and Kim and later ‘Marinette.’

Nino didn’t seem too surprised at that, eyes a little longing and embarrassed at his mistakes. But he didn’t push her for information, just listening.

And by the end of their time together they were laughing and smiling and crying a little at old memories. Still a little unsure and broken, but they were friends again. And both felt a crack in their hearts mending, and a feeling of rightness.

They were so content that they didn’t notice someone take a picture of them together.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alya was sitting with Lila in her apartment, the fox magnet was on the fridge, but the note had been folded up under her pillow.