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The school bell rang, and Alya stood from her seat. It’d been yet another long day of boring lessons, uninterrupted by any Akuma attacks or teenage drama.
Making her way out, she was about to cross the pavilion, when she caught a familiar blur of pink and black running by. “Marinette!”
Marinette skidded to a stop and turned in Alya’s direction. Alya beamed and sprinted over. Lately Alya had seen so little of Marinette, being in different classes, and she’d really been missing her.
“Hey, Alya,” said Marinette. She was smiling, but barely. There were pretty clear dark bags under her eyes, and she really didn’t seem all that present.
“Do you wanna come over to play on my Switch? I got the new DLC for Smash Bros.” Alya wasn’t quite sure what else to do other than offer Marinette a space to recharge, and maybe beat Alya in some PVPs. She really hoped Marinette would say yes.
“Ah…” Marinette bounced on her feet, looking everywhere but Alya. “Sorry I uh… I’ve got—I need to study tonight. Sorry.”
She looked absolutely downtrodden. It physically pained Alya to see Marinette like this, but she didn’t want to pry. “Alright then you egghead,” she said, ruffling her hair, “How about tomorrow then, yeah?”
Marinette lit up a bit, and smiled back. “Tomorrow, yeah.”
That night, right after Alya finished dinner and had started editing her latest blog entree, she got a notification from a private number. It was a link, which she would have brushed off as junk if the text wasn’t signed by the code Ladybug used to encrypt messages.
The link led to a site that required one of the few passwords she had to memorize to access. It was essentially a calendar invitation. It had a GPS map to a location nearby, a time of meeting, and a way to notify her attendance.
It was a cool evening as winter edged its way into the city, and she shivered as she made her way across the Parisian streets. The location she was going to took her past Marinette’s house (she could tell when she was within a fifty foot radius due to the smell of baked goods). The lights in Marinette’s room were off, and Alya frowned.
She was really worried about Marinette. This school year was a lot heavier hitting schoolwork wise, and she knew Marinette wasn’t taking it well. As midterms approached, the work pile was getting larger and larger, and Alya knew that Marinette had bitten off more than she could chew.
“So, you got an invitation too, huh?”
It was Nino. “Yeah.” She could see her own breath puff out under the dim lamplight. “I think something big is about to happen.”
There was a breeze from behind, and Ladybug dropped silently in front of them. Despite how light she was on her feet, Ladybug carried herself in a much heavier manner than usual. Like she was shouldering a huge burden.
The young hero took a breath, and planted her feet. “As you both know, Hawk Moth now knows your civilian identities.”
Alya had expected this to be the subject matter of the night, but it still made her stomach drop. She loved being Rena Rouge, but she knew it wasn’t going to last forever. She cast her gaze downwards, trying to hide her disappointment.
“Under normal circumstances,” continued Ladybug, “that would have unfortunately meant the end of your relationship with your Miraculous.
“But… well, that’s what we did with Queen Bee, and we all know how that turned out. I—I thought about it a lot, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the safest and most logical option is to give the revealed holders their Miraculouses to keep—until we know for sure that your lives aren’t in danger, that is. I—I’m really sorry to put this burden on you all. It’s hard enough already to perform as heroes as it is right now, and I will make an effort to not call you to duty unless it is absolutely dire—”
“Ladybug, stop worrying so much,” said Alya. “Carapace and I know what we’re doing, and we want to help.”
“Yeah dude,” said Nino, “We like being super heroes with you and Chat Noir, and we hate Hawk Moth just as much as you guys do.”
Alya was expecting Ladybug to look relieved, but instead, she was in shock. As if the idea that they’d want to be super heroes was absolutely ludicrous, rather than every kid’s dream. She almost lost her grin, as Ladybug’s fear washed over her.
Ever since Ladybug first appeared in Paris, Alya had wanted to know more about her. About who she was behind the mask, about the life a coveted superhero held.
Standing in the back alley with Ladybug now, for the first time, Alya was finally getting a glimpse of the human behind the mask. Only, it wasn’t the confident girl she was expecting. No. Ladybug was, without a doubt, not happy at all.
“Ha-HA, take THAT!” said Marinette, throwing her controller to the couch in victory. It was her fifth win in a row, though she showed no signs of slowing down.
“I hope you’re saying that to Kirby, because I’m over here,” said Alya. She sprawled over the couch to reach over her head in a very impractical way to get a Marinette-made macaroon, and stuff it in her mouth. It was absolute bliss. “I tfhink I’m tfhe rheal whinneh here.”
“Oh yeah? Tell that to Lucina,” said Marinette, and pounced. Alya shrieked and tried to move out of the way, but in the process she managed to hit the remote in just the right spot to switch the input to satellite television.
“...an Akumatized villain is currently terrorizing Paris! Chat Noir is engaged in battle, but Ladybug has yet to be seen…”
Alya and Marinette immediately stopped their scuffle. Alya glanced over to where she knew Trixx was hiding. Should she do something? Ladybug wasn’t there yet, and Chat Noir might need help. Was she even allowed to? Even though she was wearing the necklace now didn’t mean that the superhero duo wanted her help. Plus, Marinette was here, and she really didn’t see any way to excuse herself from her own house.
“I—Alya, I need to make sure my parents are okay,” said Marinette.
“Don’t be ridiculous Mari, you need to stay in—” wait. If Marinette left, then Alya would be free to transform and help. Marinette might be more safe if Alya could spot her from the distance as she made her way home. “Y’know what. I think you should get home, it doesn’t look like he’s anywhere near your house anyways. Just, uh. Call me when you get there, okay?”
Marinette looked like she had something she wanted to say, but whatever it was, she left it. As soon as she was out of the door, Trixx materialized. “I see what you did there, Alya. Veeeery sneaky.”
“I think you’re rubbing off on me a bit too much. Trixx, Let’s Pounce!”
“Hey there Rena, you’re just in the nick of time,” said Chat Noir. Alya landed a couple of blows to the villain which gave him a second to catch his breath.
“I noticed you were short a partner,” said Alya. She flexed her fist, and clocked the guy right in the face. It’d been so long since she used her Miraculous, and she’d forgotten how exhilarating it was. Even though it was freezing out, she didn’t feel cold at all. And she was in a jumpsuit!
Chat was oddly silent after that comment. “I’m sure she’ll get here eventually, she always does.”
“Well we can’t catch the Akuma without her, right?”
As if on cue, Ladybug swung into the scene right between Alya and Chat Noir, and landed a kick in the villain’s stomach. He flew backwards, and Ladybug swooped down next to them. “Sorry I’m late you guys.”
“Fashionably late you mean,” said Alya, and fist bumped Chat Noir.
“What’s the situation?” asked Ladybug, eyes trailed on the villain.
“It was a guy who didn’t get the right coffee order…” said Chat Noir. “I’m thinking it’s the pencil behind his ear.”
“Got it,” she said, and swung off. A second later a swarm of ladybugs clouded Alya’s vision, and the rubbled city was back to its original state. That was… a very quick victory.
Something was off.
“Nino, have you noticed anything… off about Ladybug?” The two of them were home alone at Nino’s place, snuggling on his living room couch next to the fireplace. It was technically supposed to be a ‘study date’ for their upcoming midterms, but, well, Alya had no idea why she believed that was actually going to happen.
“Whaddya mean?” he mumbled.
“I know she’s never been the most open person, but she was at least close with Chat Noir, right?”
“Right…”
“Well the other day she came to fight that coffee Akuma guy, and she didn’t even bother working with either Chat or me! She just swooped in and beat the guy herself! None of us even used our powers.”
“Isn’t that a good thing though? We’re beating the villains faster, right?”
“Well, yes,” said Alya, sitting up, “but I’m worried about Ladybug. I think—I think she feels like she needs to take on all the responsibility even though there are other Miraculous users who are willing to help! And yes it might be good in the short term but in the long term who knows what’ll happen if this keeps up, and—”
“Woah, dude, slow down—”
“Sorry.” Alya took a breath, and leaned back into Nino. He wrapped an arm around her, and kissed her right at her hairline.
Nino leaned back, but still held Alya’s shoulders. “You’re a really good person, didja know that?” He smiled, a big dopey grin, and Alya’s entire face burned.
“Stooop,” she said, batting at him with limp arms. Nino responded by tackling her onto the couch, and smooching her cheek. Alya’s stomach killed her with laughter, as Nino continued to smother her with kisses. It was awful, and Alya definitely was not enjoying this one bit. At all.
Once Nino finally decided to stop being the worst, they started snuggling again, in content silence. They stayed like that for a while, and Alya started to drift off a bit.
“Yknow,” said Nino, brushing a hand through her hair, “you said the same thing about Marinette.”
Alya blinked awake, and craned her neck to look at her boyfriend. “What’re you talking about?”
“The whole ‘you’re worried about Ladybug’ thing sounded exactly like the rant you went on the other other day about how you’re worried about Marinette.”
“Oh.” Alya furrowed her eyebrows. “Okay then weirdo, your point?”
“I dunno, it occurred to me and I wanted to point it out.”
“Aw, you were observant, I’m so proud.”
“You’re awful,” he said, hugging her tighter.
After that though, Alya couldn’t relax. She’d been missing so many pieces for those two different puzzles, but what if… no. Nino definitely said that to mess with her. Or maybe he said that to mess with her, and there was still something concrete? Or rather, everything was crumbling around the same wall.
There was one thing she knew for sure though: she needed to talk to Ladybug.
A week before midterms Alya had gone to Marinette’s house for a study session, and frankly, she looked like crap. She was also quieter than usual, and Alya could tell that she was extremely sleep deprived. If the black circles under her eyes weren’t enough indication, she literally fell asleep as they were doing factoring exercises.
When she got home, she did a quick search and, sure enough, Ladybug had been spotted swinging through the city during all hours of the night. She shut her computer, and put her head into her hands. It could just be a coincidence, she tried to tell herself. It didn’t work.
Her biggest revelation came when she wasn’t even thinking about this complicated dilemma. Recently, Alya’d been craving meat a lot more than usual, and she had the mind to inquire Trixx about it.
“Oh yeah, since I’m with you 24/7 now, it’s pretty likely that some of my traits would rub off on you,” he said, catching a bit of her Rabbit dinner that she tossed into the air. “Like my incredible wits and good looks.”
“Mm, I think that’s me rubbing off on you actually,” she said. “So is that why Nino’s been so clingy lately? Aw, is it his protective turtle instincts?”
“Oh yeah, Wayzz can definitely have that effect on his holder.” If Alya didn’t know any better, she could have sworn Trixx blushed. He took an entire leg off of her plate and started munching on it to hide it. “Whoever’s Tikki’s holder is probably having a rough time right about now,” he said, changing the subject.
“Oh?” said Alya, raising an eyebrow.
“Ladybugs hibernate during the winter,” he explained, “so when Ladybug’s in her normal form she needs a lot more rest than usual in order to perform as Ladybug in peak condition.”
Alya thought back to Ladybug in the alleyway, her shoulders hunched and wavering voice, to how she didn’t waste a moment during a fight. And then, she thought back to her gaming night with Marinette, when she made a quick, and then Ladybug showing up late for the fight. To Marinette’s lethargy during their study session, and the way both she and Ladybug carried themselves recently.
Before that moment, the thought of Marinette being Ladybug seemed impossible; there were too many differences between them. But, as Rena, Alya had a part of Trixx in her—she had a sense of security behind her mask, and could perform feats that she could never as a normal civilian. It clicked in her brain, all the pieces coming together.
“Oh Marinette…” she said under her breath. She put her head on her hands, rubbing her temple. “What in the world have you gotten yourself into?”
The day every student in school was dreading finally arrived: midterms. The freezing weather had kicked in full gear that day, biting Alya in face, and mirroring the painful tests to come.
Alya took a seat next to Marinette in the exam hall. Her friend was oozing anxiety. When Alya tried to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, Marinette flinched.
“Ah—sorry Alya, I didn’t see you there,” she said. She took a huge gulp from her thermos. The poor girl was still bundled up in her winter clothes, even though they were inside.
“I hope that’s water in there,” said Alya.
Marinette smiled sheepishly. “It’s coffee actually.”
“Did you get any sleep last night?”
Marinette rubbed the back of her head. “Define ‘any’.”
Alya sighed and plopped down into her seat. She took out a pencil, and pressed it to Marinette’s arm. “You got this, girl.”
“Thanks.” Marinette smiled, but Alya could tell she didn’t mean it.
The teacher came around, handing out their tests. Alya started on hers, glancing at Marinette as much as she could without seeming suspicious. Marinette’s chair scraped out beside her. Alya watched as she stumbled down the stairs with her arm covering her mouth.
Alya started after her, but froze when she noticed just why Marinette had sprinted out of the room: the purple Akuma. Alya froze. She was currently in a room full of teenagers who were stressed and anxious over their midterms. The Akuma could latch on to anyone.
Do something, screamed Alya’s brain, but what could she do? She subconsciously brought her hand to her neck, holding onto her foxtail necklace, and watched helplessly as the Akuma possessed another kid’s exam.
The room went into chaos. A gust of wind picked up, the windows bursted open, and Alya’s half finished exam flew out of the window along with the rest of her class’. Students started running for the door, and Alya searched around for Nino. She caught his eyes, and they ran for each other.
Just then, Chat Noir ran in. “Everyone needs to evacuate! The villain is planning to tear apart the whole school!” He seemed confident, but Alya could see the wobble of his gesture, and hear the slight panic to his voice.
Alya was resolved. She caught Nino by the hand, and kissed him on the lips. Hugging him tight, she whispered in his ear, “I have to do something; you’ll see me in a bit. Just trust me on this one, and help Chat Noir while I’m gone.”
Nino opened his mouth in question, but shut it when he looked at Alya’s hard expression. “Okay,” was all he said, “and I always trust you.” He kissed her this time, and the two of them split off in the hallway.
When Alya got the girl’s bathroom, she only half-expected Marinette to still be there. What she didn’t expect was to see a pair of spotted legs kneeling in the nearest stall, and for Ladybug to be hurling into the toilet.
“Merde,” Alya cursed, and swung open the stall door.
There was no denying it now. “Marinette,” she said, more like a statement than addressing her friend.
Ladybug coughed in surprise, and Alya flinched. The superhero was holding onto the toilet’s rim in a knuckle-tight grip, and held it as she turned to meet Alya’s eyes. It was then that Alya noticed she was crying as well.
“Alya? Merde, I—I can explain—”
Alya interrupted her with a bone crushing hug. “It’s okay, I understand,” she said into Ladybug’s ear.
Ladybug sniffled, and leaned back to wipe her eyes as well as she could do over her mask. “I—I didn’t mean for you to find out this way,” she said.
“Eh, well, I kinda figured it out a couple of days ago actually.”
“What?” said Ladybug, her voice cracking. “How?”
“Best friend intuition, I—” the door of the bathroom got sucked out of its foundation and flew into the air. “Ah, right. The Akuma.”
“I need to go stop them,” Ladybug said, attempting to stand. Alya pushed her back down, and stood up herself.
“Nu-uh, not happening. You’re in no condition to fight right now, girl.”
Ladybug blanched. “But I’m literally the only one who can stop them.”
Alya pouted. “Am I really that awful that I’m not even an option?”
Ladybug blinked at her in confusion, and then understanding came over her face. “I—you can’t—that’s not how that works, Alya.”
“It’s not?” she said, side stepping as the sink got whipped into the air. “I happen to remember a certain fight where Mister Bug took the reigns of the Ladybug Miraculous, and he managed just fine.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Alya held out her hand, and gave Ladybug the same expression she gave her younger sisters when she knew they had something off-limits.
“I’m fine,” said Ladybug, and she tried to stand again, this time without Alya to help. She wobbled on her feet, and fell forwards into Alya’s arms. Alya hugged her tightly again, and Ladybug sobbed into her ear. “ I’m Ladybug. I need to be able to do this, and if I can’t—”
“If you can’t,” Alya said, “you have a close network of friends that you can ask for help from. Where in the world did you get the idea that you have to do this all alone?” Alya held Ladybug out at arm’s length, and looked right at her. “You’ve been carrying a ridiculous amount of weight on your shoulders that nobody could withstand holding for the amount of time you have. Everyone needs help; it’s why you and Chat Noir are a duo! It’s why Nino and I have Miraculouses. We’re a team, Marinette. And your team will always be there when you fall short. Always.”
They stayed like that for a moment. The wind and snow from the villain’s attacks whipped around them, and even though the walls of their school were gone, and they were exposed to the world, at that moment it felt like they were the only two people in the universe.
Ladybug huffed, her breath swirling in the freezing air, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed. “Tikki. Spots off.”
In the wake of the detransformation stood a girl with hunched shoulders and a head bowed in resignation. She took off her camouflaged earrings, and placed them in Alya’s hands. Her lip trembled as she closed Alya’s fingers around her own Miraculous, and looked up at her friend. “I’m s—”
“Your welcome,” stressed Alya, her voice soft.
Marinette’s mouth stayed open, and she looked at Alya in shock. Alya smiled. “You have nothing to be sorry about,” she explained. She took the earrings Marinette handed her, and put them on. Tikki, the Ladybug kwami, appeared after she fastened the second one on properly.
“Hello Alya!” she said. “You know the phrase you need to say?” Alya nodded.
“Tikki, spots on!”
Alya flexed her hands, staring down at her new costume. From what she could tell, her jumpsuit from the shin-down was all black, similar to her Rena Rouge outfit.
She looked at Marinette, who was shamelessly staring at her, her cheeks slightly coloured. Alya winked at her. “Like what you see?”
Marinette’s face went ladybug-red, and she covered her face with her hands. “Now you’re just being unfair…”
Alya laughed. “Do not fear, good citizen!” She slung her arm over Marinette’s shoulders. “Your friendly neighbourhood Dame en Rouge is here!”
“Oh yeah? Then why are you still here, Dame? Don’t you have a villain to defeat?”
“Yes, yes. The poor boys probably need me to save their butts by this point.”
Alya almost swung off, but Marinette caught her by the arm. “Are you sure you want to do this?” By the look in her eyes, Alya could tell that there was an omitted ‘for me’ at the end.
“Are you kidding me!?” said Alya, beaming from ear to ear. “This is like a dream come true!” She tested out her spotted yoyo, swinging it between hands. Once she got a feel for it, she cast it at the nearest sturdy streetlamp, and launched herself towards the akumatized villain.