"Marinette?" Alya called, opening the door to her best-friend's room.
"Uh... Alya! Hi! What are you doing here?" Marinette seemed flustered.
She hid her hands behind her back and would turn to face Alya whenever she moved. "What do you have behind your back?" Alya asked, peering around Marinette's back, trying to see what she was hiding.
"Nothing!" Marinette said too hastily, causing more suspicion. She winced. "Marinette! I know you are hiding something! I saw Ladybug on your roof! And then there was this small sweet voice you were talking to a moment ago. Where did she go? Where did Tikki go?"
"Uh..."
"Marinette." the small voice said.
Tikki. Alya thought.
"I think it's time to tell her. She already knows if she heard us talking."
"Alright." Marinette sighed, "Come here then." she said, waiting for Tikki to appear on her shoulder.
The small red and black spotted kwami snuggled up against Marinette's cheek. Marinette giggled. She then looked up to see Alya's surprised face. Actually, 'surprised' was an understatement. Alya was shocked to say the least.
"Hi, Alya!" Tikki greeted, "Marinette talks a lot about you." she stated.
Alya smiled. Marinette exhaled slowly, trying to process a coherent sentence for what she was trying to say. "I'm Ladybug!" she blurted out.
Those were the two words were the words which Marinette forbid herself from saying. Ever. They were the two words which would strengthen her friend ship with Alya, and completely annihilate it.
Marinette waited for Alya's response. Even though Alya's reaction came a half second later, it felt like half a millennium. Alya squealed. And squealed. And squealed. Until her voice broke and she had to breathe. "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!!! You're-?"
"SSSSHHHHH!!!!" Marinette spat out. "Mum and Dad don't know. I don't want them to know." she said more quietly.
The latch of Marinette's door started to unlock and Tikki hid in Marinette's jacket.
"Is everything alright here?" Sabine's head appeared in the manhole, leading to Marinette's room.
"Yeah, everything is fine, Mum. Alya just had another Ladybug craze."
At least it was true.
Sabine left Marinette and Alya alone in her room. "You're Ladybug?!" Alya whisper-yelled.
Marinette nodded her head. It was all she could do.
"Do you know who Cat Noir is?" Alya asked, and then she gasped, "You kissed Cat Noir!"
It was very hard to keep her voice in a whisper, to say the least. Marinette smiled. Her cheeks blushed. She kept on remembering the kiss; how soft his lips were, how gentle he held her. "Who's Cat Noir?" Alya asked.
Marinette thought back to her conversation with Cat, how she asked if they should tell Nino and Alya. Cat didn't disagree. All what he said what that they'd have to get out of Egypt before they do. "Adrien." Marinette mumbled.
"Adrien?" Alya asked, her voice clearer than Marinette's.
Marinette nodded, a bright smile stretching across her lips.
"You kissed Adrien?" Alya smirked.
Marinette smiled in response, her cheeks flushing more.
"Aww! I'm so proud of you girl!" Alya screeched, "Wait, so you've been fighting crime with Adrien. And you didn't even know it?"
Marinette nodded, "I found out in Egypt."
"Egypt? When did you go to Egypt? You've only been gone for a few hours!"
"A few hours? Really?" Marinette asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, maybe the time was different there."
"What?" Alya asked, "Okay. Just spill! I need to know everything!"
Marinette laughed, and started to recount all of the activities which happened in the 'past few hours'.
🐞🐞🐞