LadyBugOut AU (Snippets)

The Views From Here

Alya was on some sort of emotional high. Her blog was rising in traffic every day, people always eager to see that amazing LadyNoir kiss. Comments went on and on, most thrilled about the kiss and talking about how LadyNoir was finally canon.

Alya let them believe it. After all, it’s not like it was a big deal, right? Their views wouldn’t have any impact on anything, so why should Alya bother correcting them?

The same applied to her class. Sure, they might’ve been literally divided now (with the “Ladybug deserves better” classmates being on one side of the class and the “Ladyblog forever” being on the other), but that just meant that Alya had more people around her who shared her worldview.

Even if it meant that Marinette didn’t sit next to her anymore…

Alya’s phone dinged, indicating yet another new comment. Another thrill went up her spine, Alya eagerly scrolling up to see the comment appear.

‘So… you deceived us?’

Alya blinked. Where’d they get that idea?

Suddenly, her phone dinged again, and another comment appeared.

‘I really thought they were a thing?’

Another ding, followed by another.

‘Are you doing stuff like this all the time? I trusted this blog!’

‘Man, now I feel terrible. Poor Ladybug.’

More comments were beginning to swarm in, to the point where Alya had to turn her notifications off due to the excessive dinging noises.

People were talking, saying that Alya lied to them, saying that they were hurt by what she’d done to Ladybug.

She couldn’t understand. What happened?

Then, another comment appeared, this time with a link. Alya had discouraged links on her blog, but the user had disguised it so it could be posted anyway.

Alya now felt determined to get to the bottom of this. She copied the text, edited it into a proper link, then went there.

She was brought to a page called ‘LadyBugOut’, which was an obvious blog. Alya could imagine that it was a combination of “Ladybug” and “Bug Out,” which was Ladybug’s catchphrase whenever she left.

Alya felt a tinge of salt that the blog looked better than hers.

The banner, aside from having the title of the blog, had the tagline, “Directly from the source!”

Alya didn’t entirely understand that at first, almost wondering if Lila had made a blog before dismissing the idea outright. Lila would never do that to her.

The blog itself had one single post, which stunned Alya. How did this post have so many views, and how did the blog have so many people following it? Was it promoted on the news and Alya just didn’t hear about it?

The single post was a video post with the symbol of the ladybug miraculous in the top-left corner, alongside the date.

It was posted that very day, and the video’s thumbnail was Ladybug looking directly at the camera.

Alya’s breath caught in her throat.

Without a word, she clicked on the video.

Ladybug came to life, seeming to be positioning whatever camera she was using. With a smile, she said, “There!” and backed away. Alya noted that Ladybug’s yoyo was missing from her waist.

In fact, not only that, but Ladybug’s outfit looked different. It was more refined, like she’d made some sort of transformative life change and adjusted her outfit to make it clear.

“Hello, everyone!” Ladybug said, waving a hand. Clasping her hands together at her waist, she continued, “I’m sure you’re all wondering what a superheroine is doing, making their own blog.”

She took a breath. “Well, I’ve been on many interviews since I’ve started being a superhero, and most of them try to pry into my personal life. I’ve always been worried that what people see on TV and from videos people made can be taken the wrong way. My privacy has been invaded and it feels as if people who interview me forget that I have another life outside of being a hero.

“So, I decided that it’d be better to get things directly from the source instead. I’ll be posting multiple videos to update people on everything I can, and everyone can get an idea of who I really am.”

Standing professionally with her hands on her hips, she nodded. “I’m open to letting people ask questions, but keep them out of my personal life, alright? It’s important that I keep my identity a secret, after all!”

She paused. Alya felt tense, her hands tight around her phone like she was trying to crush it.

Ladybug looked around, then stepped closer to the camera. Her voice quiet, she added, “Also, I have something important to address. I know there have been… rumors, flying around about me and Chat Noir, especially in light of some images floating around.”

Sternly, she insisted, “That kiss did happen, but it was taken out of context. I was under the spell of Oblivio, who had wiped my memory and Chat’s. I don’t remember what happened then to make us kiss, but I want to be clear that I don’t love Chat and we’re not dating. Also, for anyone wondering about the other image on ‘Face to Face’, that was taken back when Dark Cupid was filling people with hate, I only kissed Chat to break the spell that Dark Cupid had on him. I didn’t approve to either of those pictures being made public.”

She frowned, sighing. “I’m sure this will disappoint a lot of people. I know that some people were excited, but this is the truth. Chat may have feelings for me, and we might banter from time to time, but… well…”

In a moment of vulnerability, Ladybug stared at the camera, looking nervous but resolved in what she was going to say. “I’m in love with someone else.”

Breathing up, she clarified, “But… I’ve already made it my mission to not let my feelings interfere with my job. I’ve tried my best to stay professional, and I want everyone to know that they can trust me to focus on the task at hand and not to get distracted by dating people as Ladybug.”

She gave the camera a smile. She stepped up, then seemingly placed her hand on the camera itself. “I hope everyone understands, and I’m looking forward to everyone seeing the real Ladybug.”

Following a wave of her hand, the video ended.

Alya could do nothing but stare at her phone, her hands shaking.

Then, she dropped it, but made no attempts to pick it up. She was frozen.

…She was ruined.

Ladybug, how could you?