Miraculous Short Stories & One-shots

The fight

"Everybody wants to help Ladybug, Marinette."

To Alya those words were the nudge Marinette needed to shake hands with and accept Lila as part of the resistance. Little did she know those words only helped strengthen Marinette's resolve against the girl, because Lila doesn't want to help Ladybug. So, after the handshake that sent spiders crawling up her spine, Marinette pulled away to the back of the group, only half-listening as the students began discussing ways to help Paris's heroic duo. She was mostly busy stewing over her concerns about Lila. Was she here just to be accepted by the rest? Or was she still after her vendetta against Ladybug? Would she go as far as to sabotage us?

Alya shot a few concerned glances at her friend before finally looping an arm aroud the bluenette's and tugging her away.

"Huh?" Marinette said as she was jerked from her thoughts.

"Is everything okay?" Alya asked once they were in a secluded corner out of sight of the others.

"Of course not. Lila's here," the other shot back.

Alya sighed, briefly rubbing the bridge of her nose between her finger and thumb. She gave her friend a level look before continuing in a hushed voice, "I can tell that whatever happened between Lila and you as Ladybug has soured your view of her, but you shouldn't be holding this massive grudge against her as Marinette."

"What?" Marinette whispered, blinking at the reporter with astonishment. How could Alya still buy into the 'Ladybug and I are friends' lie after finding out she, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, is Ladybug? "Are you serious?!" Marinette screeched. The resistance's voices quietened as her outrage reached their ears.

"Yes! I think you're being very unfair to her."

"Un-unfair?" she spluttered. "I'm telling you she's a liar, and you're just not hearing it! You aren't listening to me!"

"Marinette—"

"You wouldn't have second-guessed Ladybug—" before you found out she was me. She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying the rest.

"Well Ladybug wouldn't be caught acting so irrationally!" Alya snapped back.

The shock and hurt on Marinette's face was like a spark—short and bright and gone in an instant as a shadowed look took its place. A cold realisation set in: Ladybug had been Alya's hero, someone she had believed in with unshakable faith, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng was and still remains the ordinary clumzy unreliable girl who now just happened to moonlight as Ladybug. Marinette looked away and it felt like a 10 foot wall had erupted between the two friends. After everything they'd been through, shouldn't there be an unbreakable trust between them? It hurt to find out that wasn't the case.

Alya regretted her outburst almost instantly. "Marinette," she said in much softer voice as she reached out for her friend's forearm.

"No, don't," Marinette said, flinching away.

"I shouldn't have—"

"It's fine. I get it."

I get that I'm on my own here.

.

.

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[A/N: this little drabble^ (that takes place at the end of 'Illusion') is my way of explaining why Marinette doesn't outright tell Alya everything that's happened between her and Lila. She wants to prove herself as capable and rational, not just as Ladybug but as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And boyyy I'm excited for to do just that in upcoming episodes!]