Running from the Night (A Ladybug and Chat Noir Fanfic)

Chapter 17

Marinette paced the length of her room. The kwami's watched her walk back and forth, they gave each other worried looks as she continued to mutter under her breath. She stopped in front of her extensive chart with every akumatization laid out and who was documented to have been in the area at the time of the akuma. Her computer screen had more tabs than she could count from the ladyblog, each had Alya's coverage of an akuma. As much as Marinette was upset at the blog and its creator, it was still the most accurate in depth source of information.

She stared at the photos she had laid out of each victim of hawkmoth, many of them were her friends and classmates. It was odd, now that she looked at it, that the majority were from her class. She felt her eyebrows furrow. It would make sense that Hawkmoth knew them personally, but how could anyone in her class have the time and secrecy to be Hawkmoth? She continued pacing trying to find out what she was missing.

"Marinette?" Tiki asked, not for the first time this morning, "Are you feeling okay?"

Marinette simply waved an affirmation and continued to pace. Tiki looked to the other kwami's but before she could voice her concerns Marinette stopped abruptly.

"Lila!" She said with a wild looking grin, "How could I have not seen it earlier! She's a natural born liar and manipulator, she showed up around the same time as Hawkmoth and- and she's.." She gestured frantically trying to find the words to voice her discovery.

"Are you sure Mar-"

"She's the worst! It has to be her, Tiki spots-"

"Marinette!!" Tiki yelled stopping her from transforming, the little kwami looking more angry than Marinette had ever seen her, "Lila doesn't exactly look like Hawkmoth or sound like him."

"But don't you see Tiki, lying is her natural state, she could easily change how she looks when she transforms or- or the magic could change her voice." Marinette said desperately trying to hold onto her theory. Tiki floated over to her shoulder and gave her a small hug.

"I think you should take a break and-" Tiki's soft voice was cut off by Marinette's phone rattling against her desk as it buzzed. She dived to pick it up as hope that Chat Noir was calling her lit up her face, but it fell upon seeing it was Alya. She let the phone ring until it stopped, a frown pulled at her features. Chat hadn't responded to her texts since he had called her the other day and she still felt bad about how short she had been with him as Ladybug. She tried to push the gnawing anxiety down, he had a habit of being sporadic in his responses.

"Maybe you should see if Alya wants to spend time with you?" Tiki prodded with a hopeful lilt to her voice.

"What? Why would I do that?" She responded with an odd look.

"She's your best friend!" Tiki exclaimed.

"No she isn't, she made that perfectly clear with her article."

"Maybe she was just hurt?" Tiki said quietly, the softness of her voice made some of Marinette's resolve falter.

"Maybe..."

"I'd be happy to see her again too," Tiki's small voice crumbled Marinette's resolve as guilt flooded in, she had done her best to forget that Tiki had grown close to Alya. When she thought about it she felt an uncomfortable mixture of jealousy, anger and guilt. She looked down at the missed call notification. She tapped it before she could back out.

"Hello?" Alya's voice was tentative.

"Uh hi Alya, you called?" She felt the mixture of bad feelings gnawing at her stomach again.

"Right, I just wanted to see if we could meet up, maybe my house or.."

"How about the park?" Marinette said quickly, she didn't want to be trapped in case it went poorly.

"Ye-" she was cut off by muffled yelling, "-okay mom! Be right there! Sorry yeah I'll see you in ten," the distinctive click ended the call as she hung up.

"Alright I guess we're going to see Alya," Marinette grimaced.

⚬❀⚬❀⚬❀⚬

Marinette tapped her fingers on her leg as she looked around the park. Alya still hadn't arrived and Marinette was starting to wonder if she was being stood up. It had been at least half an hour since their conversation and she could tell Tiki had noticed the long wait as well. The red and black kwami kept poking out of the bag to look for Alya much to Marinette's annoyance. She was about to leave when she saw the redhead jogging in her direction.

"Sorry I got held up," Alya apologized. Marinette felt her response die on her tongue as Lila strolled up from behind Alya.

"Hi Marinette," Lila's smooth voice said her name sweetly but her expression was smug, it twisted into a sweet smile as Alya looked back at her.

"Hello Lila," Marinette said dryly, not bothering to disguise the disdain in her voice, "what did you want to talk about Alya?"

"She said she wanted to see how you were doing, Marinette! Everyone's so worried since you two fell out, you really haven't been yourself lately," Lila spoke before Alya could answer, every word made Marinette's blood boil, "in fact I heard you were really mean to poor Rose the other day, are you feeling well?"

"I'm just fine," Marinette said through gritted teeth, "was that all Alya?"

"Of course not, we were hoping you would apologize for being so rude lately," Lila interrupted again, putting a hand on Alya's arm and feigning hurt on her face.

"Excuse me?" Marinette snapped, "I don't recall Alya losing her voice, she can talk for herself can't she?"

"Marinette, it's okay, I did want to see how you were doing," Alya said, her eyes darting between Marinette's hostility and Lila's aghast expression.

"Then maybe it's best we talk privately," she said looking at Lila with squinted eyes.

"I understand if you don't want me around -sniff- I'll just go home by myself I guess.." She said sniffling and turned to walk away.

"Wait Lila, I'll just be a few minutes and then I can walk with you okay?" Alya said, trying to cheer her up, Lila just nodded, wiping the "tears" from her eyes. Alya turned and walked with Marinette to a more private area of the park. She crossed her arms and looked expectantly at Marinette with a sour expression.

"You know she's lyi-" Marinette started.

"I didn't mean to bring her along, if I'd known she needed a friend to console her today I wouldn't have called," Alya said, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, "but I did want to apologize to you Marinette, I'm sorry about the article."

"Right that," Marinette tried to bite back the sour response but still she felt Lila's presence under skin. She let out a sigh and dropped her defensive stance, "I appreciate the apology Alya, I just don't understand why you did it."

Alya cast a glance back at Lila shifting uncomfortably, "I don't know why I did either, but how are you really?"

"I'm..." Marinette mulled over her response, once upon a time she would've told Alya everything but that trust had been broken, "fine, just fine."

Alya gave her an unbelieving look, they both knew what fine implied. Marinette positioned herself so her back was to Lila, shielding her purse, she opened it so Tiki could see her previous holder.

"Alya!!" Tiki flew to give the teen a hug, Alya lit up seeing the small kwami and after making sure she was in the clear opened her own bag letting Trixx fly out and reunite with Tiki. She chuckled as the two reunited, chatting happily. Marinette felt the all too familiar pang of guilt and jealousy. She felt her muscles tighten knowing the fox miraculous was so close, she didn't know if she trusted Alya to hold it anymore. The sound of footsteps spooked the two kwami's back into hiding.

"I'm so sorry Alya but my mother needs me home," Lila said as she approached the pair, "she's so upset about my grandfather -sniffle-"

"Let's get you home then okay", Alya said, putting a comforting arm around Lila's shoulders and gave Marinette a small wave goodbye. Marinette felt sick seeing her (ex?) best friend walk away wrapped up in Lila's lies, but she couldn't tell how much of her anger was directed at Lila, Alya or herself.