Straight to Video (Completed & Under Renovation)

Chapter Twenty-six: James Bond

I climbed up to my room after a long walk home, only to find Alya waiting for me, a nervous wreck.

Shit. I totally forgot.

"Marinette! Where have you been, girl? I was looking all over for you; I thought you--"

She stopped in her tracks when she saw my face, and immediately wrapped me up in a warm hug.

"Girl.. Why are you crying?"

There was no way I could answer that honestly, so I just pulled her close and let the tears fall.

"Oh, Mari... Did something happen while I was gone? Who do I need to beat up?"

I laughed at her assumption, despite myself.

"I think you've done enough beating for today. Don't think I didn't see you swing a frying pan at that super villian earlier."

"You saw!? Oh man, wasn't I so cool??"

"The coolest!!"

Thankful for the topic change, I gladly let Alya babble on about her latest miraculous adventure.

"--and I dashed into the kitchen, barely catching my breath, and found a skillet! One of those heavy cast-iron ones, you know?"

"Mhm," I nodded, combing through her messy hair.

"Then," she exclaimed, "the demon zombies were flooding in to get me, so I set the whole kitchen on fire with the gas stove and a bottle of olive oil!"

"Wait, wait, you did WHAT!?"

My jaw dropped. On one hand, I felt irresponsible as Ladybug for letting her do something so ridiculously dangerous. On the other hand, I felt kind of proud as Marinette, because my best friend was actually a badass.

"Yeah! It was so awesome! So then, I crawled through a window in the back, after shattering it with the pan, and I got this wicked cut, right? And I snuck up behind Devil's Advocate, and just when she had Ladybug and Chat Noir cornered, I was like, 'this is for my boyfriend, bitch'! Then-- WHAM! I totally slammed her with the skillet!"

"Sacré bleu, Alya," I sighed, putting my final touches on her hair buns.
"To think, all I did was sit at home and worry, and you were out there saving superheros like some kind of James Bond film! I feel so lame!"

Alya patted me on the back.

"Don't worry, Mari. You're just not ready to be a hero, yet."

I snickered; And I thought I was laying it on thick.

"Maybe with some training," she teased, "you could be as cool as me, someday!"

She struck a 'muscular hero' pose tacky enough to rival that of Chat Noir, himself, and I just couldn't stop giggling. Soon enough, Alya broke her facade, and we broke out laughing together.

"Wait a minute; hold on." I said, in between gasps for air. "Did you say you got cut up earlier?"

"Oh, yeah! Check it out: my sick battle scar!"

Alya rolled up her sleeve, and sure enough, her right arm had a large pink gash.

"Alya! Are you okay? You should go to a doctor!"

"Nah, it's cool. Can't you see? After Ladybug casted her miraculous spell, it was almost completely healed! It was way worse before, trust me."

I stared at her arm, confused. I knew the miraculous spell would heal people, but I assumed it always healed completely. If this cut was bad enough to resist healing, what happens when someone is horribly hurt? I felt my stomach tie in a knot, and quickly looked away.

There was a short moment of heavy silence between the two of us, but Alya broke it, first.

"So, uh.. You're not going to tell me who made you cry, huh?"

I sighed.

"Sorry, Al. It's not something I can really share."

She nodded, mouth twisted like she ate something sour.

"That's alright. But uh, quick question?"

Glancing up, I saw a bit of worry.

"Do you love him? That 'mystery guy friend' you've been seeing lately?"

I blinked. Alya was too sharp...

"Love.. is weird," I mumbled, "and infuriating. Quite frankly, I wish I could just say 'no'. But... I think I might. And that scares me."

"And Adrien?"

"Yeah.. I still love him, too."

"Girl, girl, girl," she chided, "what are we going to do with you?"

I groaned, not really sure, myself.

"End my misery?" I teased.

"Soon enough, things will work themselves out, anyhow. So no need to go talking like that. Besides, it's Thursday night! Nino said he's done with the playlist, and he'll pass it to you tomorrow at school. Do you need help with anything else, or are we good to go?"

"Oh," I said, startled. I had somehow forgotten about the party, with the akuma and my conversation with Chat..

"Um, yeah, actually. All I need to do is make the cupcakes, which I can do tonight."

"Alright, then! Sounds like we have some cupcakes to make, girly."

"We..?" I hummed.

"Uhh, yeah. You've been working your ass off, Mari. The least I can do is stay tonight to make sure you get some rest and wake up ready."

"Awww, Alya!"

I could feel my eyes stinging with tears. She really was the coolest.

"Speaking staying the night," I considered, "one moment!" I moved to my closet and burrowed through my design prototypes until I saw spots.

"Here," I shouted as I tossed Alya some pajamas. "Put these in your bag for tomorrow. Wouldn't want Nino to feel left out."

She chuckled, using her free hand to mess up my bangs.

"You never cease to amaze me, Marinette."