Chapter Text
Alya's first reaction to her friend's reveal was to scream. In excitement, in sorrow, in anger, in disbelief — that much she didn't know. But she wanted to scream, to yell, over what she said, over the implications and the emotions and the everything.
Thank God she didn't do that.
Marinette hurt. Tears pooled in her eyes and she clenched her hands against her legs, leaving visible smears of sweat on the fabric. And all Alya could do was widen her eyes in shock, wait for her to nod in permission, and hug her friend with all the love she could muster.
Marinette is Ladybug. Okay, Alya, you got this. Just another day as the Ladyblogger.
"I — are you — can you —?" Alya began, her chin still resting on Marinette's shoulder.
"I know you must have a million questions," Marinette whispered, "but I just.... can't. Right now. I'll answer them later."
Alya swallowed what was left in her mouth and nodded, taking in the scent of Marinette's hair. At another time, it would have smelled sweet — she always used strawberry shampoo, and she always told Alya to use it, too. (Alya very much so preferred coconut, and so did Nino.) But now, it smelled of faint chlorine.
Ladybug was spotted at the pool earlier today.
Wrapping her mind around it, Alya thought back to the millions upon millions upon millions of days where Marinette had definitively not been Ladybug. When she had the textbook that Ladybug dropped — the one that she showed Alya just after Alya lost Ladybug's. When Alya had first gotten the Fox Miraculous — in which Marinette said that if she was Ladybug, she wouldn't tell Alya. When Ladybug appeared with Marinette, when Alix got akumatized — when there were two Ladybugs, too.
"You're.... Ladybug," Alya breathed, and finally Marinette released.
"I'm sorry I never told you."
Alya was still recovering from the day's revelation, but as soon as she processed what Marinette said, she held her hand up. "Don't you dare apologize to me, girl. You are more deserving of apology than I ever have been."
Tears still blurred Marinette's eyes, and though Alya felt her tear ducts prickling, she suppressed the feeling and grabbed Marinette's hands. "You've been so strong throughout this. I'm so sorry that everything has happened to you."
Marinette finally broke out into a sob and Alya pulled her head down to meet her thighs. "You're safe here. I'll be with you as long as you need me."
Alya stayed for dinner that night, eating homemade pasta with fresh shrimp, fresh bread, and fresh green beans. (Alya stayed for dinner at the Dupain-Cheng's every opportunity she got; they were all excellent cooks with a wide array of knowledge between them, given their combined experience with Chinese, Italian, and French cuisine. Simply the best food for an every night sort of meal.)
After dinner, she and Marinette cuddled on the couch while watching what was definitely not a rom-com. (It was Barbie: Mariposa, in fact, which had been her comfort movie for a very long time.) They drank hot coco and Alya brushed her hair, braiding it and unbraiding it, her mind filled with thoughts of Lady Noire and how her hair was braided, too.
Eventually, though, Alya had to leave. Nora picked her up and the entire time, she thought of Marinette saving her when Nora was akumatized, giving the Miraculous to Nino who was so scared he'd mess it up but more scared that he'd lose his girlfriend.
In her mind, that had always been Nino. But now, Ladybug was Marinette.
"Hey, shut your phone up," Nora said, elbowing Alya. She zoned back in to realize that in her back pocket, her phone was vibrating like crazy.
With a half glance at the screen, she knew it was Nino, and hit the decline button.
"What's going on with you?" Nora asked. "You're being all..... spacey. And it's not like you to ignore a call from flyweight."
"I'm just tired."
Nora didn't say anything else, and as though her body wanted to agree with her mouth more than it ever went the other way around, Alya fell asleep before she had the chance to even get into pajamas.