Today was the day. Finally, she would make Marinette and Adrien see each other beyond the bars of platonic friendship. Alya had spent too long scheming, making the setting completely perfect for the two soon to be love birds.
It was a chilly fall day and Adrien was wearing the scarf Marinette had given him (which he didn't know because… he's dense) and Marinette was flipping through her sketch book and drawing designs… in the park… where Adrien was walking around the corner. Leave Marinette to come up with big ridiculous plans and schemes while Alya would just take what's already good and make it better.
With a little Alya romance mixture and it would be perfect.
"Hey Adrien!" Alya called.
The blonde noticed her and began to walk over. Meeting him halfway, Alya quickly said,
"What a coincidence seeing you here!"
"Yeah… I guess so…" Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. Was he suspicious? No, he couldn't be! Alya hadn't even told Marinette of her plan. Just play it off, just play it off.
"Yeah, I guess so… anyway, have you seen Marinette? She's over there designing things she was complaining about some things and needed professional things to help her… things… and since you're such a good model and fashion person… I was wondering if you could help her… with some things…" Alya cringed at her wording. She was a writer for Pete's sake! It should be coming out better.
"Uh… sure!" Adrien said enthusiastically.
"Yes!" Alya thought. It was working.
"I'll go help her… things…" Adrien replied before leaving Alya and walking over to Marinette. As he got closer, Marinette looked up and blushed seeing Adrien there. They started talking and seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Marinette didn't seem to be stuttering anymore and Adrien was smiling.
"It was working!" Alya thought. She crept closer to hear what they were talking about.
"And that akuma attack was so scary! Like out of nowhere came a cheese bullet! How does Hawkmoth even come up with these things? It's kind of like he's crazy!" Marinette exclaimed.
"I know what you're saying… you might even say… he's crayon-zy…" Adrien replied.
Marinette stared at him for a second before saying.
"Okay, good bye!" She said before standing up and leaving.
"What was that girl doing?!" Alya thought. One bad pun (though extremely terrible) was not a reason to never start a relationship!
Adrien just laughed to himself and got up to follow her. Marinette didn't hesitate to punch him lightly on the shoulder, smiling.
Alya smirked.
After this, they were totally a couple.
"We're not a couple!" Marinette hissed to Alya in the hallway.
"What?!" Alya yelled.
"Quiet down Alya. You know he's just a crush!" Marinette explained.
"But… but…" Alya said thinking about the romantic walk they had just the day before.
"Hey Alya! I've just made some sick new beats! You wanna listen to them before class starts?" Nino said, running up to them.
"But… but…" Alya continued to stay oblivious to the outside world.
"What's up with her?" Nino asked.
"I have no idea." Marinette answered.
Hearing the bell ring, Marinette grabbed her books and her motionless best friend and headed for class.
"Alright, take two!" Alya thought passionately.
This time, instead of a date, she would have… a confession! She would get Adrien to confess his feelings for Marinette on video and vice versa for Marinette. Then she would send the video to each of them and there was no way, that they would not be a couple! Their platonic relationship was going to end!
Once and for all!
First, she was going to get Marinette's because she was going to be the easiest then she would head for Adrien. Already having been invited over, Alya placed her phone harmlessly on Marinette's desk, hitting the play button for the video and waited for Marinette.
And waited. And waited. And waited… And an akuma attack later, she finally appeared.
"I'm so sorry Alya! I didn't mean to be late it just happened and… Alya?" Marinette asked noticing her best friend was sleeping.
Poking her lightly in the head, Marinette sang,
"Alya…. Alya… time to wake up!"
"What? Oh! Hi Marinette! … You were really late." Alya yawned, stretching her arms.
"Yeah, well… things happened." Marinette said looking a little guilty.
"Of course they did." Alya muttered.
"What was that?" Marinette asked.
"Um… just wanted to ask you something." Alya covered up her previous statement.
"What?" Marinette questioned.
"Well… how are feeling about Adrien. You've seemed kind of… mild these past few days and I just wanted to make sure you still… you know… liked him." Alya said with concern.
Marinette blushed a bit before answering,
"Well, I wouldn't say mild… just more mature. I mean, I can't always be watching him or monitoring his schedule even if I do like him. I've kind of been… a fan girl. I've decided to… distance myself. All along, I've put him on this pedestal of perfection which is wrong. I wasn't treating him like an actual person so… yeah."
"So wait… does that mean you've gotten over him?" Alya said paling.
"Umm… not really… just stepping back." Marinette replied.
"Of course you are." Alya muttered darkly (really of all the days).
"What?" Marinette asked in her innocent voice.
"… Well! That's all the time we have for today! I'll meet back with you soon!" Alya said with fake optimism.
"Alya? Alya!" Marinette tried but Alya was already out of her room, and out of her door.
On her way home, she played through the video cutting the enormous first three hours of nothingness. She watched how Marinette completely dashed her dreams. Then… she got an evil little idea.
She began to edit the video. It took her two hours to get it perfect but the end result was fantastic.
"I have gotten more mature. Things happened and even if he's gotten over me, I'll always like him." The edited Marinette said.
It really was perfect. Even the pictures added up. The only thing which was a bit funky was the word like. Alya had to mesh several words together just to get it since Marinette didn't say the word once!
"Thank you… best friend." she thought sarcastically.
Now… for Adrien.
"So Adrien!" Alya caught him in the hallway.
He turned and gave his model smile and wave.
"What's up Alya?" He replied.
"I'm doing a study in psychology about human feelings and emotions and I wanted to interview you. Don't worry about this video being posted anywhere. It's just a reference!" Alya lied cheerfully.
"Fall right into my trap!" she thought.
"Alright. Ask away. But do hurry, I'll have Gorilla coming to pick me up soon for fencing." Adrien answered.
Yes! It was going to work! No failing now.
"So… on the study of human emotions… such as, maybe crushes and love… how do you feel about… Marinette?" Alya asked, grinning evilly on the inside.
"She's… a really, really, really, good friend." Adrien stated. "Alya? Alya?"
In that moment, Alya Césaire ceased to function properly. (literally, she stopped functioning)
Alya trudged home defeated. There was no point in sending Marinette's video if Adrien didn't reciprocate her feelings. All she would do is crush her best friend's fragile heart. Maybe Alya was wrong. Maybe they didn't belong together. She was probably forcing it too much.
Suddenly, in the corner of her eye, she spied her two friends.
They were walking, talking, and laughing together like any pair of friends would do. But then… they were holding hands! Okay something was fishy. They had both previously stated that it was a platonic relationship but at the same time… they were holding hands?
Alya couldn't believe this.
So they were walking around Paris, holding hands, smiling and talking but not a couple? They liked each other. They had to! No couple who didn't like each other would be walking around Paris holding hands! (She was still dumbstruck over the holding hands thing) In that moment, Alya came up with the best plan ever that would ensure their platonic relationship's death!
Running into a banner store, she bought the largest one she could find and a bucket of red paint with a large paint brush. She hurried home and spread the banner out and began painting her master piece.
"Marinette likes Adrien and Adrien like Marinette. All the school agrees they're the cutest couple ever! Signed: Alya Césaire"
Now all she needed to do was to get the others.
It was going to work! Beyond the shadow of a doubt! This was not like her other plans which were more subtle. They could not miss this! It was like a sign from heaven telling them to get together! She'd even gotten everyone, including some of the teachers, and Marinette's parents, excluding Chloe and Sabrina, to sign the giant banner. Now all she had to do was hang it on the railing of the school. Grabbing the huge thing, she began to tie it opposite to their classroom door so that when everyone came outside, they would have to see it.
Alya waited for class to end.
The bell rang. The door opened. The suspense was high.
Suddenly, Marinette and Adrien rushed out, totally ignoring the poster. They scrambled downstairs and out of the building without even seeing it.
How in the world did they manage to do that?!
Alya felt a hand on her shoulder.
"It's not your fault Alya. Those two are just dense." Nino comforted.
Alya snorted and started to smile but…
"Ewwwww!" What on earth is that?!" Chloe yelled. "Take that monstrosity down before someone actually sees it!" Chloe demanded.
Alya, already sick and tired of Adrien and Marinette's obliviousness, was not going to put up with Chloe's whininess. Not today.
"No!" Alya shot back. "I'm not taking it down. This huge banner is going to stay here until one of those two idiots sees it. No matter how long it takes. Days, weeks, years! I will wait!"
Everyone cheered for Alya and Alya smiled.
"Well if you won't take it down, I will!" Chloe huffed and began untying the knots which held the banner in place.
"Stop!" Alya said, running over and grabbing Chloe's arms.
"Let go!" Chloe yelled.
"No!" Alya shouted.
Then Chloe screamed. It was loud, shrill, and very annoying and Alya, being right up next to her, covered her ears. Taking advantage of the moment, Chloe pushed Alya… but she didn't look where she shoved.
"Alya!" Nino yelled as she fell over the railing.
Alya blacked out.
Alya's eyes opened slowly. Her head throbbed and her arm hurt.
"What happened?" She whispered.
"You fell off the railing at school. Luckily it was the first floor. You broke an arm and had a concussion. But give it a few days and you'll be right as rain… your head at least." Her father said.
"Dad? Mom?" Alya said.
"Yes, we're here. Don't worry sweetie. Just rest and get better." Her mom said.
"Okay…" Alya said before returning to unconsciousness.
It was a couple days later when Marinette and Adrien visited her. Alya was feeling better now… she was also on some pretty high pain killers.
"So… we heard about what happened… and saw the… banner thing…" Marinette started.
"It's about time!" Alya exclaimed. "Do you know how idiotic you two are and how hard it was for me?"
"Yeah… well about that…" Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "We're kind of…"
"Already a couple." Marinette finished.
"… Wait… what?" Alya said.
"We're already a couple… it sort of happened about a week and a half ago and we kind of wanted to keep it under wraps because of Chloe… And it's not that we didn't trust you… it's just that telling you would have lead to a whole other story which is kind of… classified." Adrien replied.
"What about you two idiots could be classified?" Alya snorted.
Marinette and Adrien looked at each other.
"So I went through all my hard work for nothing?" Alya said dejected.
"Not nothing…" Marinette tried.
"She… kind of did though…" Adrien stated.
Marinette punched his shoulder and hissed,
"We're trying to make her feel better!"
"You mean feline better?" Adrien whispered back.
Marinette groaned.
"You and your puns!"
Alya laughed.
"You two… are adorable… so cute… I'm tired…" She said before drifting off to sleep.
That night, while watching the news, Alya was ecstatic.
"This video confirms it! Ladybug and Chat Noir are officially a couple!" The news lady's picture changed to a video of her two favourite supers.
"Well, we're still partners. Just another type!" Ladybug said smiling.
"Ahhhh…." Alya sighed. "My two favourite ships… in one day… Life is complete."