No room to swing a Cat?

1 - A rescue at the last moment

"Check-mate, Tikki..." Marinette whispered leaving her backpack in the corner of a bedroom.

"Are you sure you didn't want to say 'Check my mates'?" a little red pellet – a Ladybug's kwami – asked quietly.

"You know them very well. I meant exactly what I said. Check-mate..."

"Could you explain your metaphor, because I don't get it."

"Deadlock." Marinette muttered. "Just a deadlock."

"You're overreacting."

"I'm doing... what?!" The girl glared at her kwami. She turned her head so quickly that some strands escaped from her bun.

"I know that a lot happened today, but isn't it comforting that you have loving friends who took care of you?" Tikki asked.

"You're right..." Marinette sighed after a while. "I'm so lucky I have Alya..."

"And Cat Noir." Kwami added in a meaningful tone.

"Cat Noir?"

"He rescued you."

Marinette rolled her eyes and looked at Tikki significantly.

"You're perfectly aware that I would do it by myself. Actually, I was ready to transform when he appeared. Fortunately, I didn't finish the spell 'Tikki spo...'"

"Careful!" kwami interrupted, because if Marinette finished the spell she would transform into Ladybug.

"Right... Thanks..." the girl restrained herself. "At that moment Cat Noir could learn about my identity that I've kept in secret for so many years... Anyway, you're right. That's good he came. He could bring me here directly."

"I thought rather about his suggestion to call Alya!" Tikki explained, glancing meaningfully at her holder.

Marinette sighed and sat down on the bed. That was a tough day and – honestly – she didn't believe in a happy end. Despite she called the current situation a "deadlock", this solution was the best she could hope for. And she wouldn't find it so quickly if Cat Noir hadn't helped her.

Suddenly, she heard knocking at the door. A moment later a red head of her best friend, Alya Césaire, showed there.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Sure! It's your home... By the way thanks a lot for giving me shelter." Marinette smiled thankfully.

"Oh, come on!" Alya just waved aside. "What do you have friends for?"

"Are you sure I won't bother...?"

"One more nonsense and I'll give you a kick, Mari! We have a spare room, so you can stay even forever! Thank God, Cat Noir rescued you from that rooftop. Who knows, maybe your house would collapse this night, burying you alive?"

"What a wonderful image... Save it for another occasion, OK?" Marinette winced and got up. "I have to come back there and take my parents' stuff."

"No way!" Alya stopped her at the door. "If you really need to go back there, we'll go altogether. Besides, I think you're more important for your parents than some 'stuff'. Do you know what they would do to me if I let you go and the house collapsed at that moment?"

"I suppose your death would be slow and painful." Marinette laughed finally. "Thanks, Al."

"You're welcome. You can always count on me. Now, come on. We ordered pizza and it should be right away."

"Uhm... Al?"

"Yeah?"

"Uhm... Will Ad-Adrien join us?"

"Mari..." Alya laughed out loud. "I thought you were already over it!"

"Because I was!" Marinette said, but a blush on her face denied her words.

"Didn't Luka heal you from that crush?" Alya couldn't help teasing her friend a little.

"He did..." Marinette winced as only she mentioned her ex-boyfriend. "Yet I didn't plan to live with Adrien under the same roof."

"I remember times when you dreamed about it..."

"That was a long time ago and a lot of water under the bridge." She muttered.

"Anyway, eat something." Alya stopped teasing and took her friend's hand. "You'll unpack later. Besides, you have so few things in that backpack that it'll take you five minutes or so. After dinner we'll think about the return to your construction disaster. And stop worrying about Adrien. Usually, he doesn't leave his bedroom at all. I'd be surprised if he joined us this evening."

"What is he doing there?" Marinette asked curiously.

"Working to earn money." Alya explained. "Since he quit modelling and his father blocked his funds, Adrien's worked as a computer programmer. Don't ask me about details. I don't know about computers anything more than CMS. Honestly, I've never thought Adrien would be such a nerd..." she joked, leaving the room.

"We're not teenagers anymore, Al."

"But we all do what we wanted to do when we were fourteen. I study journalism, you'll be a designer, Nino works in music, Luka... Oh, Sorry..."

"It's OK, Al. I know what Luka does."

"I know you know. Everyone knows. Aren't you happy hearing about his success?"

"Sure, I am..."

"So, why did you dump him?"

"You know why. We have different opinions on how our relationship should look like..." Marinette replied quietly, glancing over her shoulder at the door on her right. The door to Adrien's room. Why didn't she want him to hear her answer?

"Hi, Nette!" Nino greeted, setting a table. "What do you want to drink? Beer? Wine? Cola?"

"Hey, Nino!" Marinette smiled. "I think beer is OK."

"What about Adrien?" Alya asked, insensibly pointing at her friend.

"He was so picky when I asked him about pizza that I'm pretty sure he'll leave his lair tonight." Nino shrugged.

"How is living with him like?" Marinette asked in a casual tone. "You're complaining about him all the time, so I don't know..."

Friends exchanged glances.

"Sometimes it's like he wasn't there... He's changed." Alya said finally.

"Kagami broke him." Nino added. "I'll never forgive her that. If only she didn't cut me into sushi, I would tell her what I think about all this. But maybe Adrien's way is better. Just forget about it."

"Our adult life is a mess..." Marinette noticed with a sigh. "At least you two are happy..."

"You two can be happy as well. All you need is..." Alya began, but her friend cut in:

"No! Please... Don't even think about it!"

"Fine." Alya agreed a little too fast, so Marinette stayed concerned.

Before she managed to react somehow, three things happened almost at the same moment. Pizza man rang the doorbell, Nino went to open, calling 'Pizza, dude!' by the way towards his friend's bedroom, and seconds later Marinette was hugged by Adrien who whispered warmly in her ear:

"I'm so glad you're OK, Mari!"

Alya smiled under her breath. If she didn't match them now, she's not Alya Césaire!