Whiskers on Kittens -- (ML)

[6]

((A/N whoops I forgot to update this on here.... this was from September '17))

It had been two months and miraculously (ha-ha.), nobody had cracked yet.

In fact, Alya was feeling proud of them all. It was their secret, knowing that Adrien – son of the most prestigious designer of all Paris, and part-time model – was Chat Noir, a masked vigilante.

It brought the class closer together, if anything. They became good at coming up with excuses on the fly as to why he skipped out on class, instead of the classic "modelling". They automatically took turns in doing so, meaning there were no conflicting stories. Mme Bustier hadn't caught on as of yet, and anytime she left the classroom it exploded into chatter.

But there were also cons. Namely...

"We all know you've figured out the 'bug."

Alya sighed, turning in her seat to face Kim.

"So what if I have?" she countered in a stage whisper, just as her phone buzzed.

Akuma alert. Alya had been developing the app for months now, but it was sometimes a bit patchy. Marinette still occasionally giggled at the time it picked up on the screams of a Jagged Stone concert.

Speaking of Marinette, Alya idly wondered what others thought about her "bathroom breaks".

If she was gone, it probably meant the alert was real.

"So, tell us!" Alix chimed in, leaning closer so she could partake in the conversation. Mylene sighed heavily as Alix moved into her personal space.

"Do you want to swap seats so you can speak?" she asked flatly, dropping her tablet pen and sitting up.

Alix gave her a cheeky grin. "Never thought you'd ask."

A swapping of seats later, Alix turned back to Alya and motioned for her to move closer. Alya rolled her eyes, sliding across the bench into Marinette's empty spot. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Nino doing the same with Adrien's spot.

"I cannot believe..." Alya mumbled to herself, just as nearly everyone else in the class turned to her. Waiting.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" she eventually said, decidedly pulling up her phone and flicking through her emails. Everyone groaned, the classroom devolving into several small conversations.

"Good try," Kim chuckled, reaching over to pat Alix on the head. She swatted his hand away with a slight scowl. "But you're doing it wrong."

Alya felt a smile tug at her lips, but hid it as she continued to play around on her phone. She switched to messages, staring at the last one she had sent to Marinette.

Girl, I need an explanation when you get back.

Two months. Two whole months and Marinette still hadn't answered. It was, on all levels, rude, and Alya was stubborn enough not to change the subject.

Okay, maybe Alya was overreacting. Marinette always called, or used the group chat they now shared with Adrien and Nino.

Adrien. That was an entirely different park.

"—Alya? Alya!"

"Hm?" she hummed, not bothering to look up from her phone. "Yeah?"

"I asked if you could check the updates." Nino repeated, "Your phone buzzed for an akuma, right?"

Trust Nino to draw the conversation just far enough into a new topic that it seemed he wasn't doing it on purpose.

Alya flicked to the news channel, clicking the livestream and turning the volume up so everyone could hear.

"—heading for the local high school, Ladybug and Chat Noir in hot pursuit."

Everyone groaned.

"Do we wait for Mme Bustier to return before evacuating?" Rose asked, brow creasing.

Alya rolled her eyes, picking up her bag and heading for the door. "What's the point?" she called, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm going to find Marinette, the rest of you leave!"

"But we haven't been dismissed by the teacher!"

In the near distance, an explosion sounded, a trail of smoke rising into the air a few blocks away.

Chloe laughed. "Max, please. There's an akuma headed right this way, and you're worried about whether we have permission to leave the class?"

Max faltered. "Well, when you put it that way..."

Alya sighed, long and hard. "Just leave. Ladybug and Chat Noir can handle it."

"And you know this because...?" Alix quipped as she headed for the door.

Alya gave her a deadpan stare. "Because they've saved everyone in this classroom on multiple occasions – as akumas and not."

"Yeah, everyone but—" Alix broke off, eyes widening. "oh."

"Who?" Alya muted her phone, looking up and catching sight of Alix's face of dawning realisation.

Alix snorted. "Helloooo? Your best friend? Marinette's still in the bathroom! She doesn't know the Akuma's headed this way!"

There was another deep explosion – close enough to rattle the windows.

"If she didn't before, she does now." Alya said, pushing Alix on so everyone could leave faster, joining the throng of students out in the halls.

She stopped by Nino's desk, waiting for the rest of the class to file out.

"Why do Akumas hate our school in particular?" Nino said, putting on his cap and reaching for Adrien's bag.

"Believe me, I've been asking the same thing since the third time." Alya replied. She glanced down at her phone, noting that the superheroes had distracted the Akuma, perhaps giving the students more time to evacuate. "Do you think this mysterious 'Hawk Moth' knows their identities?"

Nino frowned. "Now that you say that..." he trailed off, before shaking his head. "He can't. There's no way."

Alya shrugged. "I dunno. Our class was targeted very early on. He might know something."

"Hey," Nino bumped his shoulder into hers, giving a warm smile. "They've got this. No worries."