#mostly because I don't edit my stuff usually but ssshh

[trans-pepsi]

Hey! I was your secret santa this year, @creeshtar ! So, I hope you enjoy this alyanette fic I wrote.

@mlsecretsanta

Marinette slumped down onto her bed, sighing after a long day of school and completely typical teenage responsibility. She lets her head rest for a moment, almost rengerizing herself immediately. Tikki landed on the side of her bed as a thought entered Marinette’s brain with almost no prompting,”Alya”. Marinette froze, wanting to groan and blush and probably everything else she could do. Alya was just such a wonderful friend that she had trouble correctly explaining how she felt about her. 

It was like a fire, Marinette started to herself. Tender and warm, yet behind it was a burning want or even need for more. Marinette shook her head after she thought that. No, it was quiet, embers slowly kindling and tended to each day that she couldn’t live without them or she’d blow away. Alya isn’t huge into fire, is she? So, it’s a comic book. Inked with love and fascination. A page turner that one thumbs through over and over because no matter how many times she’s read it, it still fascinated her each time she opened an old issue. Marinette opened her eyes again, she really should just be a poet at this rate.

Sighing, Marinette gets up and puts her feet to the ground and slipping them into her night shoes. She rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes as she looked absently at her phone. The lights inside were off, the only light from the street lamps that started to flicker on, giving the room a calm stillness. Marinette shook her head and got up, walking down the steps from her bed. It was when she started to pace around her room that Tikki got up and went over to Marinette

“What’s on your mind, Marinette?” She asked as she tilted her head, buzzing around Marinette like she was ready to do whatever was needed of her though even Tikki doubted she could really help.

Marinette sighed, waving her hand for Tikki to sit down.”Oh, it’s nothing,” she started,”It’s Alya.” she explained. Tikki nodded slowly. Marinette had been hinting at something important about Alya for a long time. Even after much prompting, Marinette refused to budge an inch. “I’d embarrass myself if I actually did anything about it,” she’d say.

‘Alya’. Even saying her name made Marinette smile. It’s what made these thoughts so difficult. Alya wasn’t just amazing girlfriend material, she was also the best friend she could ever want. ‘Alya wasn’t just’ was a game Marinette played with herself a bit too much if she needed to give herself a reality check this late at night. Okay, she shook her head, I need to do something, don’t I? Well, if I do tell Alya my feelings two things will happen, duh. Either she accepts, we date right then and there, maybe some flowers, no, chocolates? Ladybug themed pastries, perfect. The two of them take Paris by storm with her superheroing and tailorship, Alya with her.. Well, to be quick about her encyclopedic knowledge and love of Alya’s skills, then journalism and whatever career Alya might want to pursue. Business? Counselling? She didn’t care. Alya had a certain elegance with whatever she set her mind to.

The other  possibility wasn’t as interesting, quite clearly. Alya gets off-put by Marinette’s shortcomings, laughing a little to her face and telling Marinette the truth that she’s so obviously straight (when she wears flannel everyday. What kind of straight girl does that?). Then, being a good friend, Alya says they can still be friends, and it’s not like Marinette has a fear of being ‘friendzoned’. Alya’s still the best friend a girl could ask for. Still, as time went on, Alya would probably find how creepy Marinette can get and distance herself as time went on, eventually breaking their friendship and Marinette’s heart.

Marinette slowly calmed herself, she mustn’t get sad like this when she hasn’t even done anything. Besides, Alya probably would be alright with it, right? Her and Nino are still good friends after they broke up. She sighed, it was hopeless. It’s not like she had the courage to just go up and confess her feelings proudly and actually coherent. She’s gone through notebooks thinking of ways to impress, woo and confess to Alya. She’ll be the first to admit Volume one was just rehashing from Adrien schemes but after that, she got a lot more creative. There was also, of course, Volume three. It was the secret one, the forbidden “Surprise I’m ladybug” ideas that she wrote to herself when Tikki was asleep. Marinette wasn’t sure if Alya having a crush on Ladybug was good or bad. Great that she likes girls, great she likes a version of her, but horrible if Alya is just as blind in love as she was with Adrien.

Mariette had the rest of the day to just pace, sit and lay around uselessly as she kept worrying, thinking and daydreaming about Alya. She’s done this a few too many times, only punctuated by food, work or akumas. Sometimes, she could turn it into fuel for another design or just drawing in general. Tikki sat by Marinette who was now sitting in her desk chair, almost mindlessly looking around online for something to do and get out of this hopeless gay rut.

As if it was an answer to her call, Marinette’s phone lit up. She climbed the ladder again and plopped herself down with it on her bed. Unlocking it she found a text from Alya. “I’ve found who Ladybug and Chat Noir are!” she exclaimed in the text, the excitement bursting from each word. It was like the whole room went quiet as Marinette stared at the screen. She had no idea what this could mean. Alya was known for coming up with silly theories. Just thinking at one point Alya was convinced Chloe was Ladybug made Marinette chuckle softly. Her fingers couldn’t move as her mind was too busy painting out what this could mean if Alya was right.

As if an answer to her question, Alya sent a photo of not Ladybug and Chat Noir, but of two Golden Retrievers with the hero’s masks on. Yes, the dogs were very happy and Good. Boys. Marinette chuckled a bit louder, enjoying the unintentional sweet gesture. “But do you have proof?” She threw back at Alya.

“Of course.” She responded with a second photo of the same dogs without the masks. It was clear Alya was having a lot of fun with this.

“Where are you getting these pictures? Did you stage this?” She laughed more, enjoying how cute Alya is being

“A fan of the Ladyblog sent them in. But you’re totally right, no way a dog is Chat Noir. Don’t dogs hate cats?”

“This one doesn’t quite clearly.”

“Anyways, how have you been Mari? Having a fun and super productive Wednesday?”

“I’ve been good. I did get all my homework done so that’s great.”

“Look at you! Little Miss Perfect Student, huh?”

Marinette rolled her eyes, but she still enjoyed the comment,”Miss Perfect Student? That’s a new one.”

“Hey, can I not support my best friend? The one who actually does her homework at a reasonable hour?”

“You may, of course. Besides, you’ve got the Ladyblog to do.”

“Yeah I guess but that’s more of an excuse than an actual reason.”

Marinette paused, thinking to herself if she wanted to take this conversation where she wished it could.She waved her phone between her thumb and pointer finger as she thought. Eventually, she texted back,”Who do you think Ladybug is?”

Almost instantly, Alya responds,”Girl, do you think I’d hide those ideas from you? I don’t really have a clue if you want the insider scoop.”

“Okay, but like who do you think Ladybug is, personality and stuff.”

“Hmm.. well I don’t mind who it is, really. She’s still ladybug to me.”

“But if you had to answer the question,” Marinette nervously bit her lip to see how this would go. Did she go too far? Would Alya see where she’s going with this?

“Confident in what she does, always wanting to help people, kind to those need her, determined in what she believes, and any other stupid things I’d want from a partner.”

Marinette almost had to give the text a double take. Finally unfreezing from the surprise and with shaking and rushed fingers, she asked,“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Well..” Alya responds with a word and a very long pause. Marinette’s heart was beating harder than she’s ever felt it. A minute passes while an hour passes to Marinette. Finally, Alya explains herself,”Okay, I’ll be honest I always wanted to come out with a ‘not straight’ joke but I guess this is a good in between.” A third text comes right after,”Sorry if that’s a problem :P”

Marinette’s heart couldn’t feel lighter yet fuller like a hot air balloon.”No!” she responded right after the third text.”That’s totally fine. It’s miraculous.” It seems Chat Noir is rubbing off on her, in a good way.

“I just snorted while I laughed like a loser from that.”

“Seriously though,” Marinette started with her text like she couldn’t type fast enough to calm her equally fast heart.”That’s awesome!”

“You have any questions?”

“I don’t need to ask any questions” Marinette responds without a thought.

“Don’t need to, you say?” Alya asks, poking Marinette to see if she’d spill the beans.

“Uh..” Marinette replied, her mind blanking which left leaving Alya to fill in the blanks.

“!!!!” was all Alya could respond with which made Marinette smile and start to giggle to herself. Maybe coming out wasn’t so bad.

“So, we’re the gay ones of the class, huh?” Marinette returned moments later.

“It’s closer to say you were the only straight one of our friends”

“Excuse me?” Marinette responded,”What made you think I was straight?”

“Adrien.” Alya retorted, starting a second thought, “But seriously, Nino and I broke up because he realized he was gay. Adrien is probs bi if you ask me.”

“So wait..” Marinette didn’t just pause for effect in her texts. Her whole brain paused as she realized something. In an almost explosion of typing, she asked, mentally demanding an answer,”Do you have a crush on Ladybug?!?”

“Yes, Ladybug is my Adrien.”

Later, Alya sent “You looking at the Ladyblog to get hints?” But she wasn’t. Marinette was dancing to herself. Even if there was all these uncertainties; if Alya would like Ladybug’s civilian form the same way, or if she would even be willing to continue it as far as Marinette hopes, it  didn’t matter. Today, Marinette knows Alya loves her back, even if she doesn’t know that yet.