Miraculous Ships

A Friend's Plan (DJWIFI)

Marinette looked over at Alya's phone. It had been buzzing almost non-stop since they started hanging out.

And every single time her phone buzzed, Alya abandoned whatever she was doing or saying to check it.

Finally, Marinette couldn't stand not knowing what was going on any longer. "Who keeps texting you?"

Alya looked up from her phone, a look of shock on her face. She had been so far into her own little world she had forgotten that Marinette was sitting right next to her. "No one. Just some Ladyblog stuff."

"I know that you don't let the Ladyblog send you alerts so your phone doesn't get flooded. Who is it?"

"It's no one!"

Marinette raised an eyebrow before she leapt at Alya, snatching her phone out of her hand. "Nino!? You're texting Nino?"

"It's nothing, just friends..."

Marinette glanced at the phone when a small ping announced another message. "It really doesn't look that way. You like him!"

Alya was silent.

"I'm going to get you two together, no matter what I have to do."

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Adrien and Marinette were sitting across from each other at school the next day. Marinette was staring at Adrien with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Adrien was awkwardly looking at everything around her.

"We have to get Alya and Nino together."

Adrien nearly got whiplash from how fast he looked at Marinette. "What?"

"When I was with Alya, she wouldn't stop texting him, so I stole her phone and saw some of the messages. I think I've seen less cheesy pickup lines in a bad romance movie."

Adrien laughed at her analogy. It would make sense, Nino was always staring at Alya when she was nearby. At first, he thought he was staring at Marinette, but that would make no sense. She was a friend to everyone. Just a friend.

Marinette pointed at something. "There they are! They're holding hands and everything! I knew they liked each other!"

Adrien pulled Marinette down behind the table. "We just have to get them to admit that."

"We do."

"How are we going to do that?"

"I'll get a few friends to hang out with Alya and get her to admit she likes Nino, you do the same for Nino. Then we can prove they like each other with all the witnesses."

"Good plan. Do you have my phone number so you can text me what happens?" Adrien pulled out his phone. Marinette gulped, knowing she had his phone number after the disastrous voicemail situation.

"I think I have it. I'll text you mine later."

"I'm going to ask if Nino wants to hang out. The plan is starting now. Good luck!" Adrien walked over the Alya and Nino.

When they saw him coming, the leapt apart, pulling their hands back to their sides. Nino was the first to remember that they had to be normal around everyone. "Hey, Adrien. How are you... dude?"

"I'm great, great. Do you feel like hanging out with the guys later? I have a free afternoon." Adrien made a mental note to ask a few other people to join them to make the situation more believable, as well as having more witnesses when Nino did admit his feelings for Alya.

Nino glanced at Alya and she nodded. They were already acting like an old married couple. "I guess I can."

"Great! I'll meet you at the pool at four o'clock." Adrien waved and walked away. As he walked past Marinette he gave her a subtle thumbs up. Marinette nodded, then went back to drawing in her sketchbook.

Marinette waited until Adrien had left to look at Nino and Alya again. They were holding hands again, thinking no one was nearby to see them. They walked behind a tree and disappeared from Marinette's line of sight. Marinette groaned and closed her sketchbook. She would text Alya later that night to make a plan for meeting somewhere with their friends.

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Alya was walking into the pool with her phone against her ear, having a heated discussion with Marinette. "I don't like Nino, and even if I did, I would never tell you because you'd come up with some crazy scheme to get us together!"

"Just admit that you like him and I'll let it go. I won't tell Nino or try to set you up. I promise." Marinette winked at Adrien. They were both standing in the supply closet of the pool. After Marinette had invited Alya and her friends to the pool, she had called Adrien and said there was a slight change in plans. Rather than get them to admit and record them, they would just admit their feelings in person. But they wouldn't know until it was too late, of course.

Adrien dialled Nino's number. Nino picked up on the other end, his voice bouncing around the high ceilings of the pool. "Adrien, where are you?"

"I'm running a little late. Father forgot I was coming here and had to explain that he had already said I could come." Adrien lied with no hesitation. It was for Nino's own good, but he wouldn't be happy when he found out that Adrien was talking to him from within the pool building.

"Marinette? I'm looking at the pool right now. There's no one here."

"Just admit that you like him!" Marinette panicked. Nino had said that he was getting closer to the pool. She had to get Alya to say she liked Nino right as he walked in.

"If this will get you and Adrien off my back, then fine. I like Nino Lahiffe, and if he walked through the door right now I would probably kiss him."

"What?!" Nino shouted through the phone. His voice came through both phones. Marinette had timed it perfectly.

Marinette and Adrien hung up and walked out of the supply closet. They looked through a window to see Alya and Nino kissing.

Adrien threw his arm around Marinette's shoulder and leaned down closer to her. "Now, we just have to get you a boyfriend. Don't worry, because I'm such a good friend I'll help you out."

Marinette wanted to rip her hair out.