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nightinggail-writes · 3 months

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you have to understand (that the one i killed is me)

Becoming Guardian of the Miraculous has caused nothing but anxiety and stress for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Between her duties as Guardian, her job as Ladybug, and her civilian life, she's struggling to push through the stress. To Marinette, there's only one solution to her plight; she has to give up one of the three sides of her life.

Tags: angst heavy, depression, un-beta'd, alyanette undertones in future chapters

word count: 1,270

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Read on AO3

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Thunder rumbling

Castles crumbling

I am trying to hold on

God knows that I tried

Seeing the bright side

I’m not blind anymore

I’m wide awake

- Wide Awake by Katy Perry -

Marinette numbly stared down at the box in her hands. It had been three weeks since the battle against Miracle Queen. Three weeks since Master Fu transferred the guardianship of the Miraculous over to her, erasing his memories in the process; and her life has been nothing but miserable ever since.

As she stared down at the box that was slowly leading her to her demise, all she could think was how she couldn’t hold this much responsibility. Her eyes, which should have been bright with the joyful naivety of youth, were dim and tired, making her look as if she had been alive for far longer than the fifteen years she’s been on this earth. Dark circles and bags lay beneath those sky-blue eyes, the true evidence of her lack of sleep. She had far too many responsibilities, and they were starting to make an impact on her health, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Marinette recalled the events of earlier today. How Alya, Alix, Juleka, Mylene, and Rose all got akumatised because of her, how in the end she gave them a shitty lie instead of the truth that she can never tell them, how even when Alya stayed behind to talk to her, she still didn’t say anything. Maybe in another universe, she told Alya that she was Ladybug, maybe she even told them all, or she told Chat Noir, as risky as that would be, but in this one, she was still all alone.

“Marinette?” Tikki called out, the kwami’s eyes full of concern for her holder, “You could have told Alya, it wouldn’t–”

“It would put her in danger, Tikki,” Marinette muttered. “I can’t tell anyone, not even Chat Noir. That would just put him in danger too. I’m alone in this, I’ve accepted that and so should you.”

Marinette racked her brain for anything she could do to make this whole situation easier for herself, but every idea she had wouldn’t work. Every idea ended with complete isolation from everyone, abandoning all her friends and eventually her family too, just to continue to fight Hawkmoth for possibly the rest of her life, and never seeing them again. The other options included quitting being Ladybug for good, but that wouldn’t work either. For one, she doesn’t want to give Tikki up, or Chat Noir for that matter, and two she would have to go out and find a replacement and that would take who knows how long, and there's no guarantee that this new Ladybug would even be able to keep up with Chat Noir or handle the Akumas. Every option she thought of was one she didn't enjoy the outcome of.

A plan, she thought. I just need one plan, that’ll ensure I can beat Hawkmoth sooner rather than later, and won’t have to give up my civilian life forever for.

“Marinette, you don’t have to give up your civilian life or give up being Ladybug. You can do both,” Tikki pleaded. “I believe in you, you can handle both.”

And just then, an idea popped into Marinette’s head. It was insane and would probably require a lot of planning and wouldn’t be able to be put into action until her parents would be out of the city for a catering event for a few days. She would have two weeks to prepare for the most insane idea that she’s ever thought of.

“I don’t quite like the look on Marinette’s face right now…” Ziggy whispered to the other Kwami’s, “She has this crazed look in her eyes.”

“I’m not crazy, Ziggy,” Marinette stood up from her chaise, her tired, baggy eyes wild as she gestured to herself, “I’m a genius. I don’t have to give up my civilian life permanently!”

“See, Marinette! I told you that you didn't have to give up your civilian life! You just need to—”

“Fake my own kidnapping! There are no flaws in that!” Marinette enthused. “I’ll just go missing for a few weeks and dedicate that time to hunting down Hawkmoth and my duties as Ladybug won’t be as taxing! It’s genius!”

The Kwami’s looked at each other, and then looked back at Marinette. She had her arms crossed with one hand on her chin, occasionally lifting it to gesture at nothing as she mumbled to herself, pacing back and forth across her room. Her hair was messy from running her fingers through it and her eyes, formerly droopy and tired from stress, were now wide and wild thinking through the details of her plan.

The group of god-like creatures huddled together and nudged Sass forward to say something to their Guardian that may break her away from her plan. “Ah, Marinette, while that idea isss…intriguing, we don’t believe that it’sss the wisessst plan. Where would you go while being Ladybug? What would you do to find Hawkmoth? And if you did happen to find him and recover the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculousss, how would you go about un-kidnapping yourssself?”

Marinette stopped pacing and for a moment the Kwami’s thought that Sass had gotten through to Marinette. Until she opened her mouth, that is.

“Well, I would find an abandoned building to stay in, of course. As for finding Hawkmoth, that’s a plan that would take longer than a few minutes to think of, and figuring out what would happen after I recover the Miraculous is something for future Marinette to figure out.”

“Marinette,” Orikko spoke. “What about your friends? You’re parents? You’ll be leaving them, and they won’t even know what actually happened to you. Doesn’t that make you sad?”

Marinette’s arms went limp, as if hugging herself, her eyes softening and dropping in sadness, eyebrows scrunching, as a frown formed on her face. She looked as if the life had been sucked out of her. “You think I won’t be sad? Of course I’ll be sad. I don’t—I don’t actually want to leave my life behind, but I don’t have a choice. I’ve never had a choice when it comes to the Miraculous. I have to do what’s best for the greater good, and if giving up my life is what it takes, then that’s what I’ll do. No amount of begging is going to convince me to do otherwise. I’m sorry.”

The Kwami’s looked down after hearing Marinette. It hadn’t occurred to them that Marinette had felt this way about the Miraculous, or that she didn’t actually want to leave her friends and family behind and be the Guardian and Ladybug for the time being. The thought of this brought some of the Kwami’s to tears.

“Oh, Marinette,” Mullo cried. “We’re sorry! We didn’t think about how you felt about this. Well, we knew of course because we were there, but we didn’t know that’s exactly how you felt!”

The other Kwami’s shouted their agreement with what Mullo said, and flew over to hug Marinette.

Marinette closed her teary eyes and pet the Kwami’s as they nuzzled close to her, “I love each and every one of you.” she said, “Never think otherwise.”

“We love you too, Marinette!” Daizzi exclaimed.

“Everything will be okay, Marinette.” Wayzz declared, “All will go well.”

“Of course everything's gonna work out. I have all of you to help me.” Marinette replied. But even as the words left her mouth, she was still consumed by the everlasting blanket of loneliness that, in two weeks time, would be all she had.

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous au #miraculous fic #marinette centric #mlb fandom #mlb fic #repost #dual posted on ao3 #alyanette #miraculous ladybug fic

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captorations · 4 years

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Echoes

I suppose this qualifies for @miraculous-events Alyanette Week, Day 2: Baking, but it was specifically prompted by this drawing by @buggachat. I didn’t intend to do Alyanette Week, and probably won’t do any more, but I saw that cute artwork, had a related cute idea, and then turned that cute idea into a hurt/comfort idea. I then entered an unknowable godlike state, and when I exited it some hours later, this fic had manifested. This is known as the writing process.

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A great deal had been lost in the events surrounding Miracle Queen’s reign. Her mentor. Her allies, save for one. Her burgeoning faith in Chloé Bourgeois. Even her love.

Well, she didn’t lose her crush on Adrien. It just… changed. And was joined by another.

Marinette had woken up that morning believing she was a straight girl who could only ever love and be loved by one person. And while that night was plagued by far worse terrors than the realization that Kagami Tsurugi now held a place in her heart along Adrien Agreste, and that she was okay with that and every implication thereof, it was a part of her new reality all the same.

In the weeks that followed, Papillon all but vanished. Oh, every now and then some minor irritant of an akuma would pop up, but nothing dangerous or that made Ladybug miss her allies for more than emotional reasons. Mayura had gone completely off the grid and had yet to resurface. Marinette questioned whether her snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, more drastically than ever before, had shaken Papillon’s resolve; after all, the Turtle Miraculous had been left unguarded on the wrist of an unconscious old man, and the villain hadn’t bothered to take it. Or make an attempt at the Miracle Box, still held by a teenager throwing a temper tantrum.

Perhaps Papillon simply wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. That was a comforting thought, but not one Marinette could rely on. At any rate, the recent if likely temporary dearth of akuma had allowed Marinette to, at her own pace and leisure, tell the other heroes the bad news. All but one.

Kim and Max, who had only wielded the power of the Miraculous two and three times respectively including the forced transformation, didn’t seem to mind. Kim in particular had been more interested in the chance to arm-wrestle one of the saviours of Paris than the danger he was now possibly in. She’d let him win.

Luka, as ever, took the news calmly. Ladybug cut that meeting short, unable to handle those pale, kind eyes that seemed to look right through her. Only a day previously had the boy told her civilian self that he was glad her heart had begun to sing more clearly, even if it wasn’t for him as he’d hoped. How he’d guessed, she had no clue.

Kagami already knew, somehow or another. Perhaps Chat had told her? Ladybug hadn’t stayed long enough to ask, fearful that her Marinette-like stuttering in the girl’s presence might somehow override magic powerful enough to disguise her identity from her own parents. That would be just her luck. At any rate, Kagami could handle herself. The girl was a warrior, with or without the Dragon.

Nino… poor Nino. It’d hurt him. Of everyone Ladybug knew, Nino Lahiffe was very possibly the most suited to the mask. He had the pure heart of a real hero and the drive to protect others that made for a perfect Turtle. Those same traits, however, had meant that he’d accepted the loss and promised to help however he could regardless. Even if it put him in danger again. Overwhelmed, Ladybug had hugged him.

So that left Alya.

Alya.

Alya, who had inspired Marinette to be Ladybug in the first place. Alya, who was her best friend. Alya, who loved being Rena Rouge more than anything in the world.

How could Marinette have let this happen?

“You have to tell her!” chirped Tikki. The kwami had given her the space she’d requested, but the longer Marinette put it off, the more insistent the reminders grew. True, Papillon hadn’t made any kind of move against her revealed allies, and Marinette wasn’t even sure what she’d do if he did. The fact remained that the now ex-heroes needed to be aware of their vulnerability.

“I know. I just…”

“Marinette.”

The girl looked up from her homework. When Tikki said her name like that, she meant business. Every now and then, Marinette remembered she was dealing with a god millions of times her age. The tiny stature and squeaky voice made it easy to forget. “I… I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Tikki sighed. “Alright. I know it won’t be easy. But I think you’re underestimating her, Marinette.”

“What?”

“Your friend is stronger than you give her credit for. She’ll be okay.”

“That’s not it.” Marinette bit her lip. “What if… what if she hates me? She loves Ladybug so much. She thinks I’m perfect. She says so all the time. What will she do when she finds out I messed up so badly?”

The kwami wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I don’t think that’s what Alya means by perfect.”

“What?”

“Never mind.” Tikki flew in and gave Marinette a reassuring pat on the forehead. “Alya wouldn’t hate you. Not Ladybug, and certainly not Marinette. Trust me.”

“…Okay.”

She could absolutely not do this.

Her best friend had spent the school day chattering away, happy as ever. Max and Kim were unaffected, though it had been some time now since she’d told them. Nino had gotten the news the preceding weekend, and only looked a little withdrawn. Adrien had asked after him, and he’d made up some story about a band he liked breaking up. Oddly, Adrien hadn’t quite seemed to accept that answer, and had insisted on treating Nino to lunch. That left Marinette alone with Alya, who was going over the noted lack of substantial akumas and what it could mean.

Marinette hadn’t said much. When Alya had asked if she was okay, Marinette had shakily parroted the question back at her, and then all but run away. Now, as Ladybug, perched on the roof of Alya’s apartment building, she was too scared to confront her.

Eventually, she gathered the scraps of her courage and slipped down the couple of stories to her best friend’s window. She didn’t even get to knock before the window shot open, Alya having picked up the subtle sounds of her approach as usual. “Hey, Ladybug. Got a scoop for me?”

Her excitement burned. Ladybug shook her head. “No recording this time, Alya.”

Oh no. That just made Alya brighten even further. Ladybug berated herself for being so stupid. That’s what she said when she was giving Alya her miraculous. Already, the girl had dismissed the aura of the Ladyblogger and was assuming that of Rena Rouge. She was looking at Ladybug’s yo-yo expectantly, waiting to see Trixx again.

Ladybug swallowed. There was a lump in her throat.

“Alya, I have some bad news…”

A hero of Paris wasn’t allowed to cry. Not in public. Still, by the time she made it to her rooftop, tears were beading at the corners of her eyes. And as the pink light faded and Tikki rematerialized, Marinette collapsed on her bed, the tears flowing freely.

“It broke her, Tikki,” she blurted out to the concerned kwami in between the sobs wracking her body. “She just… stopped. It hurt so much. I couldn’t even stay, I just ran. I’m such a coward.”

“Marinette?”

“You were wrong. She might not hate me, but she hates Ladybug, and she deserves to. I shouldn’t be her friend, she deserves better than me.”

“Marinette!”

“Tikki, wha-”

The kwami threw her phone at her. Her buzzing phone. A quick glance confirmed her worst fears: a call from Alya. She shrieked and threw it to the other side of the bed. “No, no, I can’t, please don’t…”

The phone eventually stopped, and some minutes later, so did Marinette’s panic attack. As her heartbeat gradually slowed and she began to work her way past the paralysis gripping her mind and body, she heard Tikki’s voice.

“Marinette. Talk to her. You need her too.”

This time, Marinette didn’t argue. The kwami was right. She needed her Alya, and her Alya needed her. Shakily, she reached over and picked up her phone. Her best friend had left a couple messages.

Alya: Hey. Rough night. Mind if I head over? We haven’t had a sleepover in a while. Been missing you.

Alya: You’re not answering, and there’s no akuma, so you aren’t hiding somewhere. That means you probably can’t talk. Must be a rough night for us both, then. Be there in a few.

Marinette took a deep breath in, held it, and exhaled. She could do this.

Mere minutes later, Alya arrived, and Marinette slipped downstairs to let her in.

Her best friend was a little scattered and drained. That much was obvious at a glance. She’d been crying. Then again, so had Marinette, and she admitted as much when Alya accused her of it. “Want to talk about it?”

“No. You?”

“No. Or… not right now. Maybe later,” said Alya.

This was new. It was rare that they didn’t talk about what was bothering them. Marinette in particular only was unwilling to share during particularly bad moments, the ones where she couldn’t speak at all. In the ensuing silence, Marinette’s mind cast around for something for them to do, and settled on a task she’d been putting off. Tikki needed a resupply, and there was only so much of her parents’ baked goods she could steal. “Want to make cookies with me?”

Alya smiled. “Sure.”

Maybe they shouldn’t have done this in the bakery proper. While Marinette was setting up, Alya had to shoo away a couple late night would-be customers, who were confused upon seeing the lights on. One of them didn’t speak French, but at least spoke the universal language of pointing and a dead-eyed glare from a tired, irritated teenage girl. Soon enough, they were left in peace.

Marinette went to fetch Alya an apron. She was about to pick an orange one, then stopped and chose a pink one like hers instead. Alya didn’t need any reminders of Rena Rouge tonight.

They got started, Marinette mostly directing Alya. The bakers’ daughter could do this in her sleep, and very nearly had before. Alya was more used to making proper meals for her younger siblings, not treats. They chatted as they worked, both carefully avoiding any mention of superheroes or akumas or anything even vaguely hinting that they lived in a city where magic ran rampant.

Marinette cut herself off while complaining about the previous week’s math test. “Wait, I’m an idiot. I forgot the flour. Hang on.” She spotted a bag resting on an overhead shelf and went over to it.

“Pretty sure that’s too high for you, girl,” said Alya without turning around. “I was going to get it.”

“No, I can do it, one sec-”

She jumped for it, grabbed it- and promptly tumbled down with it, the bag opening and spilling all over Alya. Letting out a yelp, Marinette scrambled to her feet with her usual levels of grace to find Alya, hair and back fully coated in white, leaning on the counter shaking.

“Oh no, are you-”

Wait, she was laughing. She was absolutely laughing. Giggles burst from her chest, and despite the mess and the horrible day they’d both had, Marinette began to laugh too.

“Smooth, girl,” Alya eventually managed. “Top ten non-Adrien-related fumbles. Wish I’d caught that on video. Been meaning to set up a blog devoted to documenting and rating your ability to turn any ordinary situation into an absolute disaster.”

This was a joke Alya had made before. Marinette stuck her tongue out at her. “Well maybe I’ll make a blog dedicated to the question: when will Alya Césaire have enough blogs?”

“I can answer that for you right now, and it’s never. Anyway, should we clean this up?”

Marinette shook her head. “My parents always say if you try to clean as you go while baking you’ll never get anything done. Finish first, then I’ll get the broom.”

They finished the cookies and returned the kitchen to a reasonably pre-disaster state soon enough, and Alya went to the bathroom to clean up while Marinette went up to her room to fetch spare pajamas.

It wasn’t the first time that Marinette’s missteps had resulted in Alya needing to borrow some clothes. At least this time she didn’t need to repair anything. Fixing a skirt which Marinette had briefly managed to light on fire while Alya was still wearing it (long story) had been a pain.

When she returned, Alya was staring at herself in the mirror, apparently completely transfixed. Her hands were gripping the edge of the sink like a lifeline. Marinette was confused for a moment, then it hit her.

Alya had managed to wash out most of the flour, but there was still a decent bit of white in her hair. Specifically, around the ends. Put an orange and white mask on her face and she’d look just like…

The girl who had been Rena Rouge stared at herself in the mirror, taunted by this echo of the hero who she could never be again, and couldn’t bring herself to look away.

Marinette had never been akumatized. There had been a couple of close calls, but Marinette had always made certain to not let anger overtake her completely. That, or direct it at Papillon. He seemed reluctant to akumatize anyone that would only try to use the power to hunt him down. Here and now, both those mitigating factors applied. What anger there was, on Alya’s behalf, was directed at the man who, in the end, was the cause of all this.

More than that, however, a completely different emotion dominated Marinette. A light, airy, but somehow burning feeling in her chest that threatened to lift her off her feet with its intensity. She wanted nothing but to make sure Alya never felt this kind of pain again, to sweep her away and hide her from anything and anyone that would do her harm. To see her smile again, the way that she had the day she became Rena Rouge, and never lose sight of that joy. To let Alya just be herself, with Marinette at her side.

Oh.

That was love, wasn’t it.

The realization was a calm one. When Kagami had begun sharing space in her heart, it had freaked her out for a whole host of reasons. Alya, however, was already there. She had always been, hadn’t she? Marinette had just never believed it was something she could feel for anyone but Adrien. Much less another girl. From one to two was a giant leap. From two to three… what difference was that, really?

Well, actually, there was a great deal of difference. Doubt riddled her every interaction with Adrien and Kagami. She was friends with them, yes, but she didn’t know them as well as she’d like to. That was the primary cause of her awkwardness around them; she didn’t know how to act or what to do. What to say, what not to say. Who to be.

Alya, however. Marinette knew Alya. Her heart didn’t speed up, looking up at Alya’s face, fully aware that her feelings for the girl were no longer merely platonic (if they ever really had been). It slowed down instead, a warm sense of peace filling her. She loved Alya Césaire, and in no reality would Alya Césaire hate her for it, even if she didn’t feel the same.

She wouldn’t be stuttering around this crush. The words came as easily as they always did, though Marinette chose them carefully. “Enjoying the view?”

Alya jolted out of her reverie. With one last, long look at her reflection, she turned away and smiled thinly at Marinette. “Sorry. Lost in thought. Go ahead upstairs, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Marinette did so, her heart still full to bursting.

Alya hadn’t asked again about whatever was upsetting Marinette. Instead, the two simply ate the cookies they’d made as they chatted, Marinette hoping that Alya wouldn’t notice the occasional extra one going missing. Really, Tikki should know better.

Finally, something shifted in Alya’s tone. “Can… can I tell you something, Marinette?”

There was no question in Marinette’s mind as to what Alya was about to tell her. The strict, professional hero part of her wanted to scold Alya, but the best friend, the teenager, and the girl in love won out. Alya needed this, and what did it matter, really? She couldn’t be blamed for not being perfect, for not wanting to suffer in silence.

Maybe Marinette shouldn’t blame herself for that, either. “Yes, of course, Al.”

“I… I was Rena Rouge. Was. Ladybug came by today and said… during Chloe’s last akumatization, all the other heroes besides her and Chat Noir were mind controlled and Papillon saw their faces. I’ll never be Rena again.”

Both her hands were curled into fists and shaking. The pain was evident in every word. Once again, Marinette was struck with the desire to do something, anything, to relieve the weight on Alya’s shoulders. The urge almost knocked the wind out of her.

Uh oh. She’d forgotten to show any kind of surprise. Her best friend was staring at her now, mental gears clicking into place. Even in despair, the reporter instincts never completely left her.

“You already knew, didn’t you,” whispered Alya.

Marinette couldn’t lie to her face. Even if it meant Alya figuring out her identity, she couldn’t hurt her like that. “Yes.”

A long sigh was her response. “I thought so. It all made sense. You’ve been acting weird around me for weeks. Treating me like I was about to break. I couldn’t figure out why, and then Ladybug… well, you know the story. She must have told you first. I know you were a hero too, at some point. Chat Noir mentioned it once, said he wanted Ladybug to give you another chance.”

He what. “That stupid cat,” she muttered.

Alya caught her words. “Don’t blame him. I think he was mostly talking to himself and forgot I was there. Foxes are pretty sneaky, after all. And if it’s okay… can you tell me about it?”

Tikki shifted in her pocket. Marinette ignored her. “I was called Multimouse. I helped them with Kwamibuster. But Chat Noir saw me detransform, and besides the Mouse isn’t really all that useful most of the time, so…”

“Oh? What does the Mouse do?”

“Duplication, but you shrink as you divide. There were a bunch of little mes running around for a few minutes. It’s kind of a blur. Frankly, Al, I’m relieved I haven’t had to do it again.”

Alya hummed thoughtfully, a smile creeping onto the edge of her face. “What would you call a bunch of Marinettes? A herd? A cluster? Given your affinity for chaos, I’d say a cataclysm, but that’s taken.” She snapped her fingers. “A pandemonium. A pandemonium of Marinettes. Perfect.”

Marinette started to laugh, but suddenly a shadow passed over Alya’s face. “And that means you must have gotten caught in Chloé’s trap just like us. Papillon might be after you too. And since Ladybug’s recruits started with me… that’s means it’s my fault you’re in danger. I’m… I’m so sorry, Marinette, I know you don’t want anything to do with all this-”

“Your fault?” Marinette growled. Alya looked up, clearly astonished at her tone.

“Your fault, that Ladybug trusted you? Your fault, that she believed in you with every bit of her heart? Your fault, that she still does, even if she can’t give you the Fox anymore? Your fault, that she… that she messed up and put you and everyone else in danger? No, Alya. You were wonderful. And if she ever says or implies otherwise, I’ll punch her lights out.”

Alya had started crying, but that last comment dragged a rather wet chuckle out of her. “You really would, wouldn’t you? Please don’t. I’m not mad at her.”

Marinette choked on a sob. “You’re not?”

“Girl, of course not. There’s nothing Ladybug could do that wouldn’t have me still wanting her to pin me to a wall and kiss me senseless.”

This time, Marinette choked for a completely different reason. “What?”

Alya looked at her, puzzled, tears stopping abruptly. “Marinette. I’m been talking about my crush on Ladybug literally since the day we met. Are you telling me that you missed this?”

“Er…”

“Oh my god. Marinette, Nino and I have talked about how he wants to date Chat and I want to date Ladybug in front of you. I’ve called myself a bi disaster and called Ladybug the most perfect girl to ever exist in the same sentence. Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I…”

Alya put her head in her hands. Around them, she mumbled, “You and Mr. ‘Just A Friend’ really are made for each other, aren’t you.”

Suddenly, Marinette found she could speak again. “I don’t know about that…”

That got a reaction out of Alya, and her head snapped back up. “What?”

“Nothing,” Marinette deflected.

“No, hold up, it sounded like-”

“Later, Alya. Please?” She needed more time to figure out what she was going to say. How was she even going to begin to explain any of this? She knew now that Alya (and Nino, who she felt guilty for not immediately thinking of minutes earlier) would be okay with the basic concept, but it was still so much. There was no rush. Not for this.

“Fine,” Alya said with a huff. “But let your wingwoman know if she needs to switch targets, okay?”

Marinette was, for a moment, overwhelmingly tempted to point Alya at the mirror in her room. But she quelled the urge and simply nodded before leaning on her friend’s shoulder. She closed her eyes.

She didn’t open them when Alya spoke some minutes later. “So how did you know I was Rena? I thought the identity magic was pretty strong.”

Yet again, Tikki nudged her. I know, I know, Marinette groaned internally. Even now, she couldn’t just up and reveal herself. But it wouldn’t hurt Alya to hear what she was going to say. “I guess not strong enough, if you know someone as well as I know you.”

She felt Alya nod. “Makes sense.”

“…Why did you think it was your fault? Putting me and the others in danger, I mean.”

“Well, Ladybug chose them because of me, didn’t she? I said as much. She started with the civilian who was most dedicated to her, and started working through her friend group from there. Never had the heart to tell her that it probably wasn’t the best tactical decision. Maybe I should have. What?”

Marinette had opened her eyes and lifted her head in one sudden movement, and was now staring at Alya. “You… know who the others are? Besides Nino, I mean.” Then she blinked and slapped a hand over her mouth. She thought she heard Tikki squeak in alarm.

Thankfully, Alya just glanced at her nonchalantly. “Thought you’d figured him out too. And don’t worry, I won’t tell Ladybug about you spilling. Not that it matters anymore.” She sighed. “I figured out Carapace instantly. And uh, I don’t know if you know, so I don’t want to get too specific, but. I also got Pegasus and Roi Singe. Not Ryuuko or Viperion though. Haven’t seen enough of them, I guess. Anyway, I think it’s partially a Fox thing, if I trust what Trixx said, and partially because… well, again, don’t want to get too specific. It just clicked.”

There would be words with Trixx later. From both her and Tikki. But now, Marinette just felt bad that she couldn’t tell Alya that no, it wasn’t because she was the Ladyblogger that she’d been chosen. It was because she was Alya. She settled for, “You were amazing, as Rena. I felt a lot safer when you were out there.”

“Aww.” Alya pulled her into a hug. “Thanks, girl. I really wish… I wish we could have been heroes together. Even just once. I wanted to share it with everyone special to me, and I thought I’d get the chance. Paris from the rooftops at night… it’s really something.”

“Alya, I have a balcony.”

“You know what I mean.”

That night, as she drifted off next to an already slumbering Alya, Marinette made herself a promise. No matter how long it took, no matter the obstacles between then and now, no matter what changed between them, Ladybug would run the rooftops with Rena Rouge again. More importantly, Marinette would run the rooftops with Alya.

It couldn’t be soon. That fact hurt, but Marinette accepted it and let it go. Papillon had to be dealt with first. This dream was years out. Maybe even decades, if they were unlucky. But it would happen.

Marinette slept, dreamless but at peace, with Alya at her side.

#i wrote edited and uploaded this in one sitting because i am a disaster human #all these things are probably obvious #miraculous ladybug #alyanette week #alyanette #adrigaminette #since that's in there too #if minor

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