When patrol was over and Paris was deemed safe for the night, Ladybug waved goodbye to Chat Noir and opened her yoyo.
Mari: could u tell me ur address its mari
There was someone she needed right now, because she felt like shattered glass. And the only person had managed to pick her up before was the person she was messaging now. Maybe she should have gone to Alya, but she knew that Alya was busy with her family on the weekends and especially on Saturday nights. That left Lila, who knew the situation.
Lila replied, sending the address with almost no hesitation. Ladybug's yoyo showed up as Ladybug on every phone, so it was easy for Lila to know that the text was true.
Lila: parents aren't home, feel free
Marinette was surprised that Lila didn't say anything else, but she still closed the yoyo and went. Her tears were cold on her cheeks, brushed by the wind that soared around her. She wasn't sure she could do this for much longer, let alone forever. Protecting Adrien's feelings even though she was the one in much more pain.
If she talked to him and told him the truth… their Ladybug and Chat Noir duo would be changed forever. She'd lost Adrien already.
She didn't want to lose Chat Noir, too.
When Ladybug arrived at the building, she spotted a window being pushed up by none other than Lila, and she leaped over, the fight to keep her tears from falling over. They were falling, and there was no stopping them until she fell through window from momentum and literally just landed in a heap on top of Lila.
She didn't care.
Ladybug didn't get up. She just curled her fingers into fists as she wept, face pressed against Lila's shoulder.
This was so embarrassing.
Ladybug remembered saving Lila from akumatization. Lila had said they'd never be friends.
And look where they were now.
Ladybug buried her face in Lila's shirt, not wanting to actually look at Lila's face because of how embarrassed she felt.
"I'm sorry," She sniffled quietly, still not getting up. All of the energy had left her body, "For crying on your shirt."
"It's fine," Lila said, arm coming around to rest on Ladybug's back, "nothing the washing machine can't fix." It was so comforting to have that physical contact. The kind of contact she wanted from Adrien. When he was congratulating and thanking her and gently touching her shoulder or hand.
That was gone.
Marinette's fists became tighter as a fresh wave of sorrow racked her body. Surprisingly, Lila just… she just laid there, letting it happen, stroking Ladybug's back and hair. She didn't know why Lila was letting this happen. She could understand Lila coming to comfort her yesterday a little bit, but she had no idea why she just let her sob on her shirt.
"You're okay," Lila said, "You will get through this."
Marinette wasn't sure she could agree but it made her feel a little better nonetheless.
When her crying finally subsided to a few sniffles, she realized how awkward the positions were, but even then she couldn't really bring herself to move.
"Um, do you want a bed or something?" Lila asked. Ladybug kind of did, but that would be asking for a lot. Lila seemed to sense this and rolled her eyes. "You already fell in my window and cried all over my shirt, what's one bed gonna do?"
Ladybug could feel Lila's chest move with every word and breath. Even just the motions and vibrations were soothing.
"Okay," She said, and her voice sounded so pathetic she was ashamed. Ladybug rolled off first and then struggled to get to her feet. She wondered how long the transformation would last if she never used her power.
A long time, probably.
Lila got up and Ladybug tried hard to not look at the tear stains on her shirt.
"So, what happened this time?" Lila asked as she gently took a hold of Ladybug's arm and pulled her to an unmade bed. Ladybug bit her lip as she sat down. She didn't know how to go about it without giving away Chat Noir's identity.
"I-"
"Wait a minute, did you just come here or were you just with Chat Noir?" Lila asked, looking at the spotted suit, and Ladybug looked down at herself.
"I was with Chat Noir. We were patrolling," Ladybug answered, flexing her fingers in her lap as Lila went to her closet, probably looking for another shirt.
"I understand," Lila said after a moment to think.
"No, you-" Ladybug began.
"Chat Noir," Lila said, turning to give Ladybug a glance, "He's Adrien, isn't he?"
That shut Ladybug up and she just stared at Lila with wide eyes. How did she know? A few moments in silence passed as Lila changed her shirt inside the walk-in closet, hidden by the door.
"Green eyes, blonde hair, and being with him made you cry all over me? Sounds like Adrien to me," Lila said from the closet, and then came out with a loose t-shirt that didn't cover her shoulders all the way.
"...Yea," Ladybug sighed, "Sorry."
"Look, it's fine," Lila walked over and sat down, "You're in an awful situation. You deserve all the help you can get."
"But why are you helping me?" Ladybug continued.
"What am I supposed to do when the great superhero Ladybug shows up sobbing at my house?" Lila threw her hands in the air, but not too threateningly, "Maybe we didn't like each other, maybe we still don't. The fact remains you're a hero and you're in trouble, and I'm not a heartless asshole."
"Even after what I did to you?"
"I was being stupid and made a weak lie. You just called me out. You didn't do anything wrong," Lila huffed.
"I shouldn't have yelled about it in front of Adrien" Ladybug shook her head.
"Whatever, I'm over it. I didn't even really like him anyway. He was just the most popular guy in the class."
Ladybug was just at a loss for words. Lila was absolving her of all blame and comforting her.
"Well," Ladybug said meekly, "I like you now."
Lila glanced over and laughed.
"That makes one of us," She shrugged, and shifted over. "Do you want to lie down or something?"
Ladybug did.
"I dunno," She said, and Lila just sighed and got up, and gently pushed Ladybug down. She let herself go down and just laid there, thinking about what Lila said.
That makes one of us.
"Why don't you like yourself?" Ladybug asked, turning onto her side. Lila had sat down with her back against the side of the bed and taken out her phone.
"Are we really going to go there?" Lila asked, voice clearly resistant to the idea.
"Sorry," Ladybug backpedaled immediately. She was already pushing it by being comforted by somehow who didn't really like her. She shouldn't pry, either.
Some silence passed, and Lila heaved a sigh.
"I know about your identity and your boy trouble, so I suppose it's only fair," She said, and put her phone down. "It's funny how everyone's calling you a liar. My entire life is a lie."
"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked, even though she kind of already knew.
"I lie about a lot of stuff. Like knowing celebrities or doing cool things. It makes people like me. I'm never in any place long enough to really make any friends. So I lie and have the next best thing."
"And what's that?"
"Fake friends who only want to hear your fake stories."
"Oh." Ladybug frowned.
"It's fine." Lila picked her phone up again.
"It's not, though." Ladybug reached an arm over the edge of the bed, gently touching Lila's back. The t-shirt neck was too wide, and that part of her shoulder was bare. "You're being so nice right now. We can be friends."
Lila stiffened, both at Ladybug's words and touch, and then stood up. Ladybug recoiled, worried she'd said something wrong. After that Adrien mess, she wasn't sure about anything she said anymore.
"You can stay here as long as you want. My parents are on a business trip," She said, readjusting her t-shirt sleeve to cover her shoulder. "I'm going to take a shower,"
Lila moved to leave, and Ladybug frowned again.
"Lila?" She called out for the last time, "Thank you."
Lila froze, and then curtly nodded at Ladybug, and was gone.
Ladybug released the transformation so Tikki could rest.
"Lila turned out to be a surprisingly nice girl," Tikki observed, yawning a little, "It's good we got to see this side of her."
"I think so, too," Marinette said quietly back, watching as the bedroom door closed behind her. She pulled out her phone to contact her parents, texting that them that she was at a friend's house.
Maybe she would sleep over.
Marinette steeled herself as she walked in the classroom. A little unsurprisingly, Chloe was standing near her desk, arms crossed as she argued with Alya, who was firmly planted in her seat and yelling back at Chloe. Adrien was blessedly not there yet, and Marinette could at least rest easy about that.
"If it isn't our very own Ladybug!" Chloe exclaimed, turning to Marinette, who stood next to the door. Marinette narrowed her eyes.
"Yea, it's me," She replied, stepping in. Brush it off, she told herself. She was Ladybug, no matter what anyone else said. Marinette came to a stop in front of Chloe, waiting for her to move out the way so she could sit.
"What, you think I'm going to let you sit behind Adrien after what you've done? You've got some nerve, Dupain-Cheng," Chloe looked down at Marinette in disgust.
"Move, Chloe," Marinette said firmly, holding Chloe's gaze. Everyone who was already in the class turned to look. She glanced around, and felt herself die a little when she saw Adrien walk in next to Nino. She looked away.
"Yea, Chloe. I'm already sitting here, and I'm sure you don't want to sit next to me," Alya chimed in, and Chloe glared down at her before turning it back to Marinette.
"You think you can walk in here after you lied to Adrien?" Chloe jabbed her finger at Marinette, who held her ground and matched Chloe with an equally deadly glare. "You're a filthy liar who tried to get Adrien to love you because there's no one who would ever love you otherwise!" Chloe then reached out with her hand and shoved Marinette, who stumbled backwards.
Marinette gasped, her foot slipping on the elevated floor, and for a moment she was falling as fast as her heart.
Until something pressed against her back, halting her fall. A hand pushed her up.
"Oh, give a rest, Chloe," Lila was saying, and Marinette blinked in surprise as she got back to her feet. Lila had stepped in behind her and caught her, and was now about to lay verbal waste to Chloe.
"Lila?!" Chloe was affronted.
"So what if she told one lie? At least she doesn't put people down for her own sick amusement like a certain someone standing in front of me. You've turned countless people into supervillains and the like, and you've the gall to talk to Marinette like that?" Lila spoke like she was a queen condemning a traitor, regality and authority just emanating from her voice. Her words were like the commands of a courageous general.
"You! Marinette was-" Chloe was furious, and ready to let loose a torrent of words.
"I don't want to listen to whatever's going to come out of your mouth," Lila cut her off curtly. "Shape up and sit down; whatever you've got to say is worthless until you become a decent human being."
Marinette was shocked into silence, impressed and amazed by what Lila was saying. She was so confident, so strong and had no problem with shutting Chloe down. Alya's mouth was open, but in a giant smile.
"She was just defending me." Another soft voice said.
And just like that, Marinette's high went down.
Adrien was standing at his desk, eyes downcast and his voice almost mournful. Marinette had to close her eyes for a second to keep her emotions at bay. Calm down.
But in the second, Lila just redirected her words towards Adrien without pause.
"Shut your mouth, Agreste," She said, looking down at him. Marinette's jaw dropped a little bit in surprise. No one had ever spoken to Adrien like that. Everyone fell silent. "I don't want to hear the words of someone who can't even keep a private conversation private. And I especially don't want to hear it from someone who has to gang up on a girl in front of an entire class, let alone a friend of Chloe. You should be ashamed of yourself. And I'm saying that to everyone who sided with Chloe."
Marinette snuck a glance at Adrien, and she could barely read his emotions.
The entire class stared with wide eyes, everyone afraid to even breathe. Chloe was seething, her entire body almost vibrating with anger.
With that, Lila cast one last look of disapproval down at Adrien, and took Marinette's arm, pulling her up to the back of the classroom. Alya was quick to ditch the seat, grabbing all her books and heading on back as well.
"I'm going to tell-" Chloe tried one last time, voice raised and eyes wild.
"Your father? Alright, go ahead. I'm just quaking in fear over here." From the back of the classroom, Lila could look down at Chloe from an even higher height. "Have fun solving all your problems with your daddy's power!" She called down at the girl, and sat down, "I'm sure that will help you later on in life!"
As the three girls sorted their stuff out and sat down, chatter began to rise up in the classroom. Chloe and Sabrina sat down behind Adrien and Nino. Nino looked like he wanted to flee. Poor dude.
"Holy crap." Alya looked at Lila with eyes, who smiled coolly in return.
"I hate people like that," Lila said, resting her head on a hand.
"Wow," Marinette said quietly. Sure, she could have also given Chloe a mouthful, but no way could she have done it as beautifully as Lila had.
She really had found a new friend.
