Chapter Text
Alya Césaire wouldn’t say that her life has always been without complications and secrets—it hasn’t. She’s a student journalist who runs one of the most popular blogs in Paris, and when she’s not closely following Ladybug and Chat Noir during Akuma battles for footage, she’s fighting alongside them. From the moment she stepped into Françoise Dupont for the first time, she’s been always moving, always working, always doing something .
So yes, there have been complicated times and stressful times between school and reporting and part-time superheroing. She never expected anything less. But none of that compares to how she feels right now, with the knowledge that her two best friends are the very superheroes she adores and protects Paris with. Her Marinette and her Sunshine.
Nobody told her, but nobody had to. She pieced it together slowly, with each identical pun and cat-like grin and roll of the eyes that absolutely had to be Ladybug (nobody can roll their eyes quite like she can), and it was like the world as she knew it fell apart and then came together again. Of course it’s them. Who else could it be?
And now, she sits pensively at her desk, waiting for her friends to arrive and wondering how on Earth she’s supposed to tell them she knows their secret identities. She’s been trying to figure that out for two weeks now, and nothing feels right (“Thanks for the pastry, girl! By the way, I know you’re Ladybug!” is definitely not going to cut it). She knows how delicate this situation is, and she absolutely cannot fuck it up, especially because Marinette and Adrien don’t even know each other’s identities.
That in and of itself is another problem entirely, and she has absolutely no brain power to deal with it until at least the afternoon.
Nino waltzes in then, interrupting her thought process. He walks right up to her and greets her with a kiss on the cheek. “Morning, babe. How’d you sleep?”
“Good morning, honey,” she smiles warmly at him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. “I slept fine.”
He eyes her warily, taking in her tired eyes and slumped posture. “Yeah, Als, I don’t think I believe that. You look like you haven’t slept at all.”
Yeah, that’s because she hasn’t.
“I was up writing. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine when Sunshine comes in with coffee for us.” She waves off his concern, but Nino just pulls her into his chest and presses a kiss to the top of her head.
“You should be kinder to yourself. I know you have a lot to do, but you need your sleep, babe.” He says as she melts into his touch. God , Alya thinks, I really do love him .
She hums when he lets her go, smirking up at him slightly. “Well, I guess for you I could get at least three hours tonight.”
“Not good enough.”
“Four?”
“Six hours minimum,” Nino counters, “or no date night this week.”
“What? But I’m making you watch that new horror movie with me this Friday!” Alya cannot believe the nerve of him. He’s definitely just trying to get out of watching the movie. He hates horror movies.
Nino laughs at her outburst. “And you still can if you get a full six hours tonight. I want proof, though.”
“How am I supposed to get that?”
“Screenshot the report from your fitness app tomorrow morning.”
“Fine,” she growls. “You have yourself a deal, Lahiffe.”
“Pleasure doing business with you.” he winks at her and moves forward like he’s going to kiss her, but something out of the corner of his eye stops him.
Adrien bustles through the door, carrying a tray of coffees. The blond boy has a smile on his face as he catches sight of his friends, but Alya can see that it doesn’t reach his eyes. Most days, even the more stressful ones, Adrien is able to mask how exhausted he is, both physically and emotionally. Alya and Nino both know that today must be different as Adrien rushes towards Alya and Nino, backpack barely hanging on and his clothing slightly wrinkled. He looked like a mess, and Adrien Agreste never looked like a mess.
Alya glances over to find Nino already looking at her, worry etched upon his face. She wonders if maybe this has something to do with Hawkmoth or the Miraculous in general, but she knows that everything has been fairly normal as of late. And she knows that last night was Ladybug and Chat Noir’s joint patrol, which usually brings them both enough joy to last into the next school day. This was something else.
“Morning, Sunshine!” Alya greets him cheerily despite her concern. She grins at him when he passes her coffee to her, voicing her thanks. “You’re the best. Are you doing okay this morning?”
“Me? Yeah! Yeah, of course!” Adrien says hurriedly, taking his seat at the desk in front of Alya and Marinette’s. “Why do you ask?” He questions once he’s somewhat settled, turning in his chair so he can talk to Alya and Nino properly.
“You seem a little frazzled is all, dude.” Nino stares at his best friend with slightly narrowed eyes and crossed arms. “What’s going on?”
At Nino’s interrogative stance, the smile slips off of Adrien’s face. “I, um—I got into an argument with my father this morning. That’s why I’m later than usual.”
“Oh God, you okay?” Alya asks, frowning. She’d try to comfort him but it’s a little hard to reach him from across her desk.
“Yeah, do I have to go vandalize some Gabriel billboards or what?” Nino’s eyes narrow further, and Alya and Adrien both know he’s serious. Nino has never tried to hide his disdain for Gabriel Agreste.
“No, it’s okay, it’s sorted for now,” Adrien waves his hand dismissively. “I’m still all set to hang out this afternoon and that’s all that really matters to me at the moment.”
Sensing that he wants to change the subject, Alya goes along with it. “Yeah, what’ve you boys decided on for an activity?”
“Oh, that’s a secret,” Nino says, Adrien nodding in agreement.
“What’s a secret?”
The trio turns to find Marinette standing next to them, holding a brown paper bag that is almost certainly filled with pastries from her family’s bakery. She begins handing them out without another word, knowing that they might not have eaten breakfast.
“The boys won’t tell us what we’re doing after school today,” Alya tells Marinette, her eyes on Nino and Adrien as she takes a bite out of her croissant.
“What? But I hate surprises!” Marinette groans, taking her seat beside Alya. “Whatever this is, it better be good.”
“It is, Mari. You’ll love it, don’t worry.” Adrien says with a wink, sending a smile her way. A real smile, this time.
Marinette barely manages a smile in response as Ms. Bustier strolls into the classroom, asking the students to take out their textbooks and officially starting the school day.