{+}{+}{+}
Mariette's P.O.V
I was having a good morning. I actually woke up early feeling better, ate breakfast with papa, was able to finish some homework that I forget to do, and there were no reporters around when I left the bakery. Everything seemed to be going good up until I arrived at school.
The school went silent at the moment I walked through the door. Every pitiful and a couple of annoyed eyes landed on me. Then, the whispering began, making me lower my head. I sighed, blocking out the voices and walked straight to the locker room.
Not that I wanted to bother Adrien, but I kept an eye out for him and hoped that he would come to my rescue. Sadly, it seemed Adrien wasn't here yet.
I entered the locker room and to my relief, it looked like it was empty. Good. My body relaxed as I walked over to my locker. My nose scrunched in confusion when I saw markings on my locker. When I stood in front of it, there were different words graphited on the metal surface. Hurtful words.
Reject.
Burden.
Shameful.
Those words didn't hurt as much as the last thing that I read.
And you call yourself a hero?
I flinched a little but ignored the diminishing words with a shaky sigh. The moment I opened my locker, the squeak of the locker room's door being opened made me freeze.
My gaze twisted over to the door mechanically to see it close behind a self-conscious Alya. Her arms were crossed and tried to avoid any eye contact. I immediately frowned and stared down at my feet. Biting down on my lower lip, I closed my locker then decided to risk breaking the tense silence between us.
"How have you been?" I asked, feeling Alya's eyes trained on me now. She didn't reply. I wasn't expecting one either with the thick air between us filled with regret and shame. She felt bad and pitied me just like most of the people around school. I was getting tired of everyone looking down on me like that.
I wasn't that fragile girl.
I wasn't someone to be looked down on.
I just wanted things to go back to the way that things used to be before my mother's death, but they never will.
Everything was going to change and everyone is going to look at me differently. My classmates, teachers, friends, and family. They don't see Marinette or Ladybug anymore, but merely a shadow. A replica. A mirror image that looks the same but is changed in many different ways. They see someone else.
I kept my gaze towards the floor. This silence is killing me and needs to end. Whatever Alya is here for, the least I can do is apologize for not telling her about my mom and isolating myself with the truth.
"Alya...look, I-" my words was cut off and gasped when I was brought into an embrace. Alya circled her arms around the small of my back and tightly hugged me close, resting her chin on my shoulder. I was so shocked that I froze again and didn't know what to do.
My mind was sent into a haze of mixed emotions and blurred senses.
Shouldn't she be mad that I kept my mother's death a secret from her? Maybe, she is pitying me for it happening? Whichever one it was, I didn't want to hear either. I just wanted her to treat me like the old Marinette, not this clone.
"Marinette..." Alya began softly and snapping me out of my thoughts. I was a little surprised to hear a slight whimper and the tone of her voice so sad as if she were about to cry. Alya was not one to cry. I never have seen her so emotional to the point where she would cry. Even if it were just barley.
"...What I did was unforgivable. I should have been a better best friend..." my eyes widened, and I was about to rant on how it was all my fault in the first place but was cut off again.
"...and, I swear, if you blame yourself for anything that happened, you are so wrong. I should have known better. You were my best friend, you would never lie or keep secrets from me unless it is for a good reason. You were hurting...but I think I understand why you didn't tell me."
She paused for a moment to see if I would speak. I was too astonished to say anything, allowing for Alya to continue explaining.
"Y-You were only trying to protect me. I-If I'm correct, y-your m-mom...uh, passed...around the time when t-those photos and that video came out. So, i-if you told me the t-truth...then I would have stood by your s-side and-and been bullied too," she shakily explained. Then, she murmured, "You probably thought I wouldn't believe you either."
I went stiff as Alya glamorously spoke spot on with her answer and more. She was one of the best reporters I knew, even if she would sometimes jump to conclusions. Alya was very smart and observant when it comes to figuring out things she couldn't quite understand.
Alya pulled back from the hug but kept her hands on my shoulders. I could tell she was trying really hard not to cry. She bit her bottom lip as to not show it is quivering and forced the tears back.
Her glassy eyes glanced over at my locker and frowned deeper.
"I-I'm just as bad as t-them," she whimpered. I dumbly watched as she met my gaze again then looked at the ground as if to prepare herself. I didn't realize my hands were fidgety until she squeezed my shoulders as a way of comfort.
"I'm sorry...f-for everything t-that I did. I understand..." Alya choked back a sob and tried to steady her breathing, "...I understand...if you n-never...never want to talk w-with me...again after t-this." It was my turn to frown. I shook my head, but Alya didn't see it, trying to be strong and not cry. My shock wore off as my stiffness melted away into sadness and guilt.
"I...I-I should g-go now-" I lunged at Alya, cutting her off to return the long-awaited hug. I buried my face into the crook of her neck and leaning myself into the warmth that I missed from my dear friend. I could tell that Ayla was in shock for a moment before slowly wrapping her arms back around me. She melted into embrace, resting her chin on my shoulder and clutched my shorter form as if I were going to disappear.
"I missed you, Alya. So much," I admitted, finally finding my voice to speak.
"I did too," she replied, happily. I could feel my shoulder growing damp and pulled away to see Alya finally letting her tears fall and a grimace on her face. I was slightly confused by this and was about to ask what was wrong when the floor shook. We both faced the doors when screams could be heard from outside of the locker room.
"WHERE IS MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG?" Someone yelled. I felt my heart sink when hearing my name.
"Akuma attack," I heard Alya say under her breath. Then, she turned to me and went deep in thought before grabbing my wrist.
"We need to hide," she said, dragging me over to a locker empty locker and shoving me inside.
"A-Alya," I questioned, wondering what she was planning. She couldn't hide in here with me, or else Ladybug will never show up to the battle. Yet, it didn't seem like she was getting into the locker. Was going to get a scoop for her Ladyblog or...
My eyes widen in realization with what Alya was planning. Before I could say another word, Alya slammed the locker door shut and locked it.
"Alya, don't do this!" I yelled, banging my fists against the locker. I peeked through the locker slits to see the sorrow in her eyes but a smile on her face before she ran out of the room. My mind went into a frantic daze as I continued to pound on the locker.
But...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
...no matter how much I pound...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
...how much I beg of her not to do it...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
...how much I wish she would return...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
...Alya was still planning to lure the akuma away from me.
I just got my friend back...please...please, please, PLEASE! I don't want to lose her again! I don't want to lose someone else that I love! Not my best friend! Not my sister!
"Marinette! You need to transform into Ladybug!" Tikki said, trying to calm me down. I stopped pounding on the locker and nodded in agreement. I snapped out of my daze and tried to calm my breathing down. Tikki was right. The faster I become Ladybug, the faster I can save Alya and Paris.
"Tikki," I began, looking at my Kwami with determination, "spots on." I felt my costume form and hug my body comfortably. Without a second thought, I kicked the door down and ran out of the locker room.
The school was completely empty and goldish yellow slashes damaging the walls. I didn't care though and flung my yoyo to the school roof to wrap around a sturdy object. Once it became nifty, I swung out of the school and followed the glowing slashes down the streets leading me to the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
{+}{+}{+}
Chat Noir's P.O.V
I stood on a nearby rooftop and hiding behind a wall, watching the akuma as he stood on top of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. A news helicopter hovered around the building to capture some footage of the new villain but not close enough to get whipped by the acid-like whip in his hand.
"I AM TRUTH SEEKER! I WILL GET THE JUICIEST SECRETS OF MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG AND HER RELATIONSHIP WITH CHAT NOIR! THEN, I CAN SHOW THOSE MEDIOCRE REPORTERS AND MY BOSS THAT I AM A GREAT REPORTER AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN FIRED!" The akuma roared with anger.
"Come on, Ladybug. Where are you?" I whispered. Truth Seeker lashed at the helicopter but missed every time. Yet, the whip was getting dangerously closer with each thrust of the weapon, making me nervous that it will soon hit the propeller.
"Chat."
I quickly turned around to see Ladybug kneeling behind me and almost giving me a heart attack.
"What villain are we dealing with?" Ladybug asked, searching the streets for something. She seemed distracted with something, but I wasn't able to question her right now. This akuma seemed to be really strong and mad, which meant this battle was going to be a toughie.
"His name is Truth Seeker. He was a reporter out to get the truth on our relationship as Chat and Marinette," I gave a short explanation, "His power is to whip and force the victim to spill the beans." Ladybug nodded with little acknowledgment and agitation wrinkling her face.
"Milady, are you okay? You seem distracted," I finally asked. Her bluebell eyes met my green for a moment before shaking her head and denied, "I'm not distracted."
"LIES!"
Ladybug and I jumped out of the way of Truth Seeker's whip. The weapon hit the wall we hid behind and left a glowing, yellow mark. We readied our weapons as Hawkmoth's butterfly symbol appeared on Truth Seeker's face.
"I think the akuma is in his whip," I suggested.
"I agree, but how are we going to get it without being hit?" Ladybug questioned, thinking of ways to defeat the bad guy. Hawkmoth's symbol disappeared. Truth Seeker smirked deviously as he prepared to strike again. I glanced over at Ladybug to see she was still deep in thought and was about to be hit by the whip.
I lunged at Ladybug and knocked her out of the way before the whip hit her. I was able to push her out of the way but didn't have enough time to move. I felt the sting of the whip strike my shoulder. I grunted and looked at the top of the yellow slash on my shoulder.
My mind went dizzy. My body began to shake. I fell onto my hands and knees, a cold sweat beginning to roll down my forehead. I felt my mouth move, wanting to desperately say the truth. To tell her the truth, that I am...I am...
I bit down on my lip as I heard Ladybug's voice echo in worry. I saw her kneel down beside me and laying her hand on my shoulder in concern. I wasn't able to respond or else, the truth may come out. Everything I've hidden will be revealed that I've tried so hard to keep secret.
"Chat, I need you to listen to me. Run to a safe area to hide and confess the truth to your Kwami. I'll handle this situation by myself," Ladybug ordered. I wanted to argue, yet the need to spit out everything was becoming too much. I nodded, biting my lower lip. Ladybug quickly moved in front of me to shield another attack from Truth Seeker.
"Hurry! Go, Kitty! I'll be fine," She reassured, urging me to go hide. I grabbed my baton and extended it enough to get to my feet. I was about to jump off when I stumbled a bit, enough to open my mouth and let a few words slip by.
"I have a giant crush on you."
I clasped a hand over my mouth, eyes widen in horror and hoping that she didn't hear a single thing I confessed. I didn't even turn around to make sure Ladybug's—Marinette's—reaction hadn't changed in confirmation that she heard or not and hurriedly jumped off to my bedroom.
Ladybug's P.O.V
I heard every single word.
{+}{+}{+}