Chapter Text
"Marinette I have to come clean to you," Alya sighed as she fiddled with the bow that had lived on her wrist for as long as she could remember.
It was a sunny Saturday morning and the two girls had gone out for ice-cream. Marinette had zoned out during Alya's rant about 'how pathetic the latest Akuma was'. She agreed but her mind was elsewhere as she watched the leaves in the trees rustle gently. Their soft green tone had too easily reminded her of that dumb cat who had be plaguing her thoughts for the past few days. Marinette just couldn't get the whole situation out of her head. That silly boy who looked at her as if she were the world...
A blush started to rise on her cheeks so she shook her head to hide it as Alya stared at her. She had finished her ice cream while Marinette's had just been melting away, dripping all down her hand. It was strawberry she had picked and yet she had barely consumed any of it since arriving at the park.
"Sorry Alya," Marinette sighed. "I zoned out, what were you saying?"
"There's something I should have told you awhile ago." Alya sighed and passed Marinette a serviette. "You know how I said I'd tell you straight away if my clocked stopped?"
"Yeah," Marinette spoke between licking the melting ice cream. "It was why I agreed to tell you mine."
"Don't be mad but..." Alya took a deep breath. "It kinda went off awhile back, on the day of that zoo incident.."
"Wait so you mean-"
"Yeah yeah," Alya cut Marinette off before she continue. She pulled the end of the bow on her wrist until it fell away to reveal the zeroed clock. "It stopped for Nino."
"You have to tell me everything!" She grabbed both of Alya's hands and a huge smile grew on her face. While Marinette had finished her ice cream, her hands were still sticky. "Was it romantic? Did his stop too? Are you in love? Are you going to get married?"
"Whoa whoa," Alya chuckled and shook her head. "Girl, one step at a time and please wipe you hands first before wiping them on me."
"Sorry," Marinette quickly let go and brushed her hands off on the napkins.
"So I didn't tell you for awhile because I wasn't too sure myself to be honest." Alya looked off into the park as she continued to speak. "It was a really nice moment. We listen to his music and we talked. Like talk talked, you know? And I realised there was a lot about him that was actually really cool. I mean he's still a dork but like a cool one.."
Marinette watched as Alya talked. When Alya talked about ladybug, everyone could tell she was really dedicated. But the way she looked when talking about Nino? Alya seemed so much more dedicated to each word she said. It brought a smile to Marinette's face to see her friend care so much about someone.
"When my clock stopped I was..." Alya tapped her chin. "Well first I was speechless. It wasn't one thing he said, like the movies lead you to believe, it was just when we were sitting together listening silently to the music. I think I realised I was really comfortable then and there you know?"
"Yeah..." Marinette couldn't help but think about herself when Alya said that last line. What stopped her and left her stunned was the fact that Chat Noir was who she thought of. Hearing Alya talk about Nino made Marinette think about Chat in a way she hadn't before.
"And you know," Alya sighed. "I've been stuck this whole time trying to understand my own emotions. Had my clock stopped to tell me to date him or to be his friend? That's all I could wonder."
Marinette could help but wondered if Chat Noir worried about the same thing. People always romanticise their clocks but they aren't always there for romantic reasons. Marinette has heard of plenty of people finding no romantic reason behind their clocks.
"But then I realised," Alya sat up more confidently. "My clock isn't there for anything. It's just there for me, so I can choose what it's for. If I want to be his friend, I can try that! If I want to take things further... Well I'm sure I could try that too come the time if he felt the same way."
Marinette had never thought about it that way. Ever since her heart's clock stopped for Adrien she believed that must mean they were meant to be together. She had lost sight. "So what you mean is.." Marinette's eyes fell back to the rustling leaves. The vibrant green leaves.
"I mean we can choose our own fate right?" Alya stood up in front of Marinette. "People always say our clocks show us our fate, but that's just silly! My fate is now what I make of it!"
The girl smiled as she watched her friend stand proudly. She too did really worry too much about the connotations behind her own clocks. Alya was right, she didn't have to worry about what would become of them.
Or at least that's what Marinette wished she could think.
Although her friend just gave her a really inspirational talk, Marinette couldn't help but still linger on the idea. Both her wrists felt heavy. She knew she was imagining the weight, but having two clocks seemed so much harder to flow with than what Alya talked about. Not to mention the poor cat who's clock stopped for her. Marinette shook her head again. She didn't need to be worrying about his clock as well as hers.
"That being said," Alya turned back to Marinette and grinned. "I do still have a task for you regarding Nino."
"Huh?" Marinette frowned. "You're not going to make me ask-"
"Ask him if he clocked stopped?" Alya grabbed Marinette's wrist and pulled her up. "Yes, let's go to your place and plan it."
"Urgh, Alyaaa," Marinette made her words drawn-out in complaint while still letting her friend drag her all the way home.
At least this would keep her mind off things.