A Leap In The Wrong Direction
Summary: Alya and Nino catch on to the fact that Marinette and Adrien always seem to be 'busy' and 'missing' at the same time. They draw the wrong conclusions.
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Marinette and Adrien are dedicated students with lots of extracurriculars, family commitments, poor senses of punctuality and not a lot of free time. It's understandable perhaps, that they're often forced to miss events and get-togethers they might otherwise be able to attend. But with friends like Alya and Nino, they need never feel too badly. They're usually pretty understanding about catching them up. No one likes to talk quite like Alya and Nino.
Separately, Alya and Nino are the gossip hubs for all current events in Teen Paris. Together, they're an unstoppable force of discourse. They talk about everything. The weather. Popular music. Cafeteria food. Class. Videogames, movies and their friends. Especially their friends. There is no shortage of chit or chat and sometimes that's even a pun. Because they love to talk about Ladybug and Chat Noir too. And their best friends, Marinette and Adrien.
Because of course they do. They're their best friends. Most of their stories revolve around them. That's just the way things are supposed to be.
Thing is though, two minds, when applied to a problem, even unintentionally, will have more luck than one, by itself. Then again, their creativity and wild imaginations may simply feed off each other. So when the combined force of their attention spans and capacity for nosiness is applied to the subject at hand, they come to the completely wrong conclusion.
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It's the third time this week that Marinette has to beg off when Alya invites her over. Monday, it was a cute new boutique she'd been meaning to visit, Wednesday it was a movie and today, it's to help her babysit the twins. Admittedly, not the most appealing offer Alya has ever made, but Marinette's done it in the past.
When the bakery needs Marinette again, Alya turns to the only solace she has left in this world; texting her Not Boyfriend. Her Sometimes Suitor. Her Man-Friend Who Spends A Lot Of Time At Her House and Has a Really Cute Butt.
Where r u?
When mom and dad get home Ill come meet u guys
Home
Adrien ditched me AGAIN
Booooo
Forreal
This is like the third time this week
Same
Mari too?
Oh yeah
Call me?
Alya picks up, cutting of the first ring, "Heya." She tries to ignore that her voice has lowered half an octave and taken on this husky quality that makes her feel like a 40s femme fatale.
"Heyyyy gorgeous," what a dope. She smiles to herself. "Left all on your lonesome tonight?"
Alya sighs, "Yep, another day, another Mari dip."
"What's she got on tonight?"
"The Bakery? I think? What's Adrien ditching you for?"
"uh… can't remember?"
"What do you mean you can't remember?!"
"Could be a photoshoot, could be fencing… I dunno Alya, he does a lot of stuff!"
Palm massaging her forehead, she has to concede, "He really does." She sighs. "I dunno, I guess I'm getting a little frustrated with her. I know she has to help her parents, but it's the third time this week! And we had plans!"
"I know what you mean, me too. I had tickets to the Saint-Germain game Monday, he paid me back, but then he bounced early from a group hang on Wednesday when he got a text."
Something screeches in Alya's brain, crying for attention. It's her journalistic sixth sense. "Wednesday, you said?"
"Yeah."
"This Wednesday?"
"Yeah, yes, what-" The mounting tension, like a dog chomping at the bit, makes a chill run down Nino's spine.
"Monday, Wednesday and today?"
"Uh huh."
"Did Adrien cancel on you last week too?"
"No."
"No?"
"Well uh, he disappeared midway through Chloe's party, a little before the Akuma attacked."
Huh. Alya is doing the math. She's got a red ball of yarn and she's connecting a hundred different moments over the course of her friendship with Marinette. She feels a swell of triumph, fear and excitement at the prospect of unravelling a mystery. A mystery she didn't even know existed!
Marinette and Adrien, they always disappear around the same time.
"ELLA! ETTA! WANT A SNACK?"
"Ow," Nino complains, "Too loud."
"Sorry babe," she says apologetically. "Can you meet me at the Dupain-Cheng's bakery in like 15 minutes?"
Nino swallows, his mouth is dry. "Sure thing…babe!"
Alya hangs up and tries to repress a smile. He's such a dork.
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Alya meets Nino at the bakery with her sisters in tow. The door jingles as they enter and Marinette's parents look up, beaming wide.
"Hello Alya," Mrs. Dupain-Cheng greets her kindly.
"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, is Mari around?"
The older woman's face drops, "Is she not with you? She said she was going over to help you babysit the girls." Her and Mari's father exchange a worried glance.
Act fast girl, don't mess this up for her.
"Oh, we must have gotten confused. I thought we were meeting her here! I'm sure she's waiting for us at my place. Ha ha ha! Let's go Nino!" She drags him out the door, tuning out the twins' complaints. ("Alya, cookies!" "You promised!")
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Back at home, with the twins plopped firmly in front of the TV, Alya and Nino have the privacy to discuss her findings.
Nino takes a second to consider her. She's beaming, practically ready to explode. Her fists are clenched together under her chin and she's bouncing.
"Out with it," Nino demands, "What is it?"
She's living. Might as well make it a show. Give it a little style and panache. Start at the beginning. "The timeline is as follows. Adrien Agreste begins attending school. Soon after, Marinette develops a monster crush on him and turns into a huge flake. She starts being late to things, having to ditch out last second, always has to help at the bakery. Adrien's always been busy so it's harder to prove, but he's always flaking too. I bet if we looked back through every weird disappearance and every time Mari or Adrien ditched us… they'd match up."
"What are you saying Alya?"
"I'm saying… Marinette and Adrien… are secretly dating!"
a/n: New to the fandom and still trying to figure out everyone's voices, but I just had to get this out! Feedback is much loved and appreciated.