Driven by Love

Carapace x Alya: The Greatest Loss

Someone once said that death is not the greatest loss in life.

The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live. I could tell you who said it, but who the hell really cares.

- Haley James-Scott

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Nino decided to call his transformation and go for a wander around Paris. He knew Ladybug and Chat Noir we're away for a while so took it on himself to keep a regular patrol. It helped calm the Parisians and also gave him a reason to spy on the one he loves.

Alya broke up with him four months ago. No real reason or excuse, just a simple it's not working so 'goodbye'. He didn't understand, everything had been perfect for so long. Perhaps it was seeing Adrien with Marinette that had made her change her mind, but everyone knew they were sickening sweet and what they had was seriously different to anyone else. He couldn't put his finger on anything other than they were not a "normal" couple.

Alya knew he loved her and he believed she loved him too. As his thoughts were coming thick and fast he'd lost any conscious thought about where he was travelling and ended up at Alya's shared house.

It was a little after midnight as he approached just in time to see the lights turn out.

"That's a late night for you, Alya." Nino spoke out loud. Usually she'd be asleep early, unless there was an akuma attack which hadn't happened in three years.

As he turned away to continue his patrol he heard the front door open and shut. He turned back and saw Alya sneaking out the house.

"Where do you think you're going little missy?"

He followed her via the rooftops as she made her way into the centre of Paris. She stopped outside a drab nightclub and made her way inside. Nino stopped too, not wanting to make a scene by entering as either his alter-ego or himself. As one of Paris' up and coming DJ's seeing him in a dive like this wouldn't work well for his reputation. He'd wait it out. He jumped over to a roof top opposite the clubs entrance and sat waiting.

Two hours later, Alya came out stumbling. He watched as she tried to gain strength in her legs, pulling her skirt down uneasily. She began to walk down the street and stopped at a park. Sitting on a bench he could see her shoulders beginning to shake. She was crying and Nino decided he couldn't stand by.

He jumped down not too far from her and walked over. Making sure he alerted her to his presence. He was right, she was crying. Fully sobbing her heart out.

"Hey little missy, do you have room for a turtle to crouch by?" Ok, he needed to be less like Chat Noir. He sounds stupid trying to put on an act. How did the cat maintain it?

"Sure," She muffled, moving over to allow him to sit by her. He knew she would let him, after all she had a strange obsession with superheroes.

"It's a bit late for you to be out and about alone. What's a pretty girl like you up-to?" Alya scoffs at him.

"What's it to you, Raphael?"

"I prefer Leonardo! Wait a minute ... aren't you the girl who runs the Ladyblog?"

"Correction, used to run the Ladyblog." Alya had managed to stop her tears from falling and turned round to face the shelled hero.

"How come?" Nino enquired.

"Something happened in my life and since then I've just lost hope in the world. This is something even superheroes can't help with."  Alya looked utterly defeated. Nino didn't know how far to push it. "I've really got into a mess and I don't know how to get out of it."

Alya burst out crying again and Nino wrapped his arms around her feeling every piece of his heart shatter. The girl he adored was breaking down in his arms. She seemed to have lost pieces of herself and he just wanted to find them and put them back together. The fire and the passion was taken from her body, her very soul had been sucked away and replaced by a dark emptiness. When she managed to control herself, she continued talking in the comforting arms of a hero.

"Something happened and I thought I was protecting her but I think there would have been an easier option then what I'm doing. I'm sacrificing myself and I know she would kill me if she found out." Alya paused for breath and all Nino could think about was who Alya was referring to. She? The only girls who Alya would protect are Marinette, or Ladybug.

"I also broke up with the one guy who made me feel like the most special girl in the world. All because of my stupid decision."

This broke him. He had to fight to hold back the tears threatening to fall. He stayed silent. Just being the support she needed at this moment in time, even if he wasn't himself. They must have stayed that way for a while, as the next thing he knew he heard light snoring on his shoulder. She'd fell asleep.

Scooping her up in his arms he carried her fragile body back to her house. He realised she was a lot lighter than she was when they were together. He looked down at her and saw the weakness of the once strong girl he loved. He needed to be there for her. She couldn't go through this alone, whatever this was.

Using her key, he opened the door and took her straight to her bedroom. Pushing the door open he was assaulted by the smell of sick and sweat. The room was a mess. Alya used to be the one cleaning up after Marinette, she'd always been a neat freak. He placed her in the bed and tucked her in before moving around her room and sorting out what he could for her.

Once he was happy with what he'd done he walked downstairs and out the front door. As he bounded his way back to his apartment he made a vow that he was going to go see her every night.