In which there is much eavesdropping

Marinette hid behind a tree, peering through a pair of binoculars at Alya and Chat Noir. The two had met in the park and were taking a stroll along the walkway. So far there had been no smooching, but Marinette couldn't help but notice the way their arms brushed from time to time.

"Don't you think they're standing awfully close?" she muttered to Nino. "Acquaintances don't normally stand that close to each other, do they?"

"They do seem close," Nino agreed. He had his own binoculars in hand and stood behind Marinette, using his greater height to peer over her head. A gasp escaped his lips. "Wait, that was the smile."

Marinette scowled. The Smile™ was one of Chat Noir's signature looks when he wanted something—a smile that was too charming, too earnest, and usually meant that he was up to nothing good. She'd seen it more than once when he was trying to slither out of an awkward situation and wanted her to cover for him. Combined with the way he leaned closer and plucked something from Alya's hair, it was no wonder that Marinette's grip tightened on the binoculars.

"That shameless flirt," she muttered. "Look at him doing the whole 'You've got something in your hair' trick. I bet there was nothing even there."

"She doesn't seem to mind," Nino said a little morosely.

This was true. Alya actually returned his smile.

Marinette frowned as the two headed for a bench and sat down. They were still too close for her likings. Alya's knee was practically touching his.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Nino murmured.

"Let's find out."

"Wait—"

Marinette sprinted to the next tree, ignoring the way her old limbs creaked in protest like stiff hinges. She peered around the trunk, but Alya and Chat Noir hadn't noticed her. Excellent. She dropped to her hands and knees and crawled behind a row of bushes until their voices drifted towards her.

"You're showing a lot of concern for a girl you barely know," Alya said, arching her eyebrow. "It makes me wonder what your intentions really are."

Chat Noir placed his hand over his heart. "I promise my intentions are only the purest."

"Are they now? And what would you do if I agreed?"

He flashed The Smile™. "Well—"

"What did I miss?" Nino whispered, shuffling up behind Marinette on his elbows and knees.

"Shh," Marinette hissed. "I'm trying to listen."

"—and with your assistance, I think maybe it will work," Chat Noir finished.

Marinette's brow furrowed. What kind of flirting was this? What assistance did Chat Noir want from Alya?

"Are you two all right there?"

Marinette jumped at the unexpected voice and twisted around to find a woman peering down at them. Curiosity coloured the woman's expression, but there was an edge of suspicion as well in the way her gaze shifted from Marinette to Nino, her lips pursing slightly. (Understandable. It probably was an odd sight to find an old woman and a man hiding behind a bush.) The woman's chihuahua, which wore a little blue coat, let out a high-pitched bark.

"We're fine," Marinette said, resisting the urge to make shooing motions with her hands. "I just, uh—"

"Lost her earring," Nino supplied. "I'm helping her look for it."

More barking.

"Oh, Howl, stop that noise," the woman scolded, reaching down to give the dog a rub behind the ears.

New footsteps approached. "Is everything—ah, Édith."

Marinette winced. Slowly, very slowly, she raised her head to meet Chat Noir's amused gaze.

"Wow," she said, forcing out a laugh. "Imagine running into you here."

"Imagine," Chat Noir agreed, his eyes twinkling.

Well, crap. This was embarrassing.

The woman cast them one last nosy look before leaving with her dog, perhaps realising that she was the only one who was a stranger and had no excuse to linger. Alya, meanwhile, came over to stand beside Chat Noir.

"Were you two spying on us?" Alya demanded, ever the one to get straight to the point.

"No?" Nino said.

Marinette pressed her palm to her forehead. That sounded way too much like a question.

"Did she drag you into this?" Chat Noir asked Nino, a hint of sympathy tinging his amusement. "I'm sure it wasn't your idea."

"Uh …"

Marinette stared at Nino with betrayed eyes. He wasn't really going to throw her under the carriage, was he?

"Nope," Nino said, tugging at his collar. "No dragging was done here. We just, uh, decided to go for a walk and then Ma—Édith lost her earring and—"

"Funny," Chat Noir said, "because I can see she's wearing both of her earrings."

Marinette once again facepalmed. She loved Nino, she really did, but why did he have to be such a terrible liar?

Nino let out a small laugh that was more awkward than a fish trying to walk on land—just an ungraceful flop of a thing. "Oh? So she is. I guess she found it."

Now it was Alya's turn to press her palm to her forehead. "This is ridiculous. Just admit you were spying."

"Alright fine," Marinette said, standing up. "We were spying, but how can I not be concerned when Chat Noir decides to have private meetings with my—"

Chat Noir's mouth twitched as she fell silent. "Your?" he prompted, knowing very well she couldn't say the truth about her relationship with Alya. Or at least her fake truth. Gah, this was getting confusing.

"You know what I mean!" Marinette said with a huff.

His smile grew.

Meanwhile, Nino was casting unstable glances of admiration at Alya. When she caught his gaze, he offered an awkward wave.

"Hi again," he said. "Sorry about the whole spying thing."

"It's fine," Alya said, shaking her head. "I know what Marinette is like."

Marinette's eyes bulged as if they wanted to pop out of her skull and her heart stumbled on its rhythm. "W-wait, you just called me—how—"

"Marinette, how long have I known you?" Alya said, raising her eyebrow. "Did you really think I wouldn't recognise you?"

"But—"

Nino groaned. "Do you mean I pretended to be her grandson for nothing?"

"Pretty much." Alya patted him on the shoulder. "It was sweet you wanted to stand by your friend, but I'm not stupid and frankly you're both terrible actors."

He pulled his hat off his head and covered his face, but not before everyone saw the darkening colour on his cheeks. "No one talk to me," he muttered. "I need a moment to weep for the loss of my dignity."

Alya snorted.

"Don't worry," Chat Noir said, slinging an arm around Nino. "You tried your best, and we all know it's not easy to keep up with Marinette's spur-of-the-moment fabrications."

"You're one to talk!" Marinette said, and poked him in the chest. "What about all the times you've made me play along with your lies?"

"They were for a noble cause."

"Mine were too! I had a perfectly justifiable reason for pretending to be Édith."

Chat Noir's teeth flashed in a grin and he leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers. "And what is that reason?"

She opened and closed her mouth like a fish. "We're not having this conversation," she announced, and then latched onto Alya's arm. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to speak with her for a moment."

Alya's amusement faded as Marinette dragged her off away from the other two. "Girl, you have got so much explaining to do."

"I know, and I'm sorry I lied before and didn't tell you who I was, but I didn't want you to get dragged into this mess."

"Hey." Alya grabbed Marinette's shoulder and met her gaze. "Listen to me. You're my best friend. I'm happy to be part of your messes, okay?"

"That's why I didn't want to tell you! I don't—I can't bear the thought of you ending up like me."

Alya's grip tightened. "Like what? What happened?"

Marinette tried to say that she had been put under a curse by the Wizard of the Waste, but no words would come out of her mouth. It was like her lips had been glued shut.

"Come on, girl, you've gotta give me something to work with here."

"I wish I could tell you, but I can't," Marinette groaned.

"Sure you can. Whatever has happened to you, I can help. We can work this out together. Just please don't leave me in the dark again, okay? I've been so worried."

Tears prickled Marinette's eyes. It hurt to think that she couldn't tell Alya the truth. This was her best friend, the person who had always guarded her secrets. Yet here they were finally reunited and there was nothing that Marinette could say to explain why she had run away and abandoned her old life.

Marinette slumped against Alya's chest, wrapping her arms around her in a hug. "I … ugh, I hate the Wizard of the Waste!"

It was the most she could get out, and she could only hope it would be enough of a clue.

"The Wizard of the Waste?" Alya said. "You mean it's not Chat Noir I have to worry about?"

Marinette jerked back, her nose scrunching. "What?"

"He came snooping around your home," Alya explained. "Kept asking questions about you, so I decided to do a little investigating myself and see what he was up to."

Marinette's heart thudded faster, battering against her ribs. "He—he was asking questions about me? Me me?"

"Uh-huh. Seemed very interested in knowing all about you."

Marinette pressed her hands to her cheeks. "But I'm—Chat Noir only knows me as an old woman."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he knows you're actually twenty."

"She's only twenty?" Nino exclaimed.

Everything in Marinette's stomach plummeted. She swung around to find Chat Noir with his hand clamped over Nino's mouth and trying to drag him behind a nearby tree. They both froze when they noticed she had spotted them.

"Er, hi," Nino said, giving another awkward wave.

"Eavesdropping again?" Alya observed.

Chat Noir shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. "I was curious if you'd manage to get the truth out of her."

Marinette's cheeks burned. Her breathing quickened, caught up in a tangle of mortification and panic. Then anger threaded its way through the tangle.

"You!" she shrieked, marching over to Chat Noir. "You mean to tell me you knew I'm not old!"

He held his hands up in appeasing gesture. "Well, yeah. I'm a wizard. I could sense there was some kind of magic on you."

"And you never said anything?"

"I didn't want to offend you."

"What? What kind of excuse is that?"

"I mean I tried to remove the spell once I pieced together you weren't actually an old woman, but nothing changed." A shrug. "I figured you just liked being in disguise."

Her jaw dropped. "You thought I—why would I want to look like this?"

"I don't know," he said, spreading his hands. "It's not like you told us anything!"

"I couldn't!"

"Well, I can see that now."

Marinette scowled and folded her arms.

"Uhhh." Nino held up his finger, his shoulders slightly hunched. "Not to interrupt, but would someone mind explaining what's going on?"

"My guess is that Marinette was cursed by the Wizard of the Waste," Alya said. "Right?"

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness someone finally said it. Now I can talk about it."

Chat Noir's brow creased. "Then it was the Wizard of the Waste?"

"Yes."

His expression turned grim.

"What?" she said. "You know him?"

"Yeah …" He bit his lip and looked the other way. "Yeah, I do."

She frowned, but before she could press him further, Alya and Nino seized her attention again, demanding all the details about the curse and why the Wizard of the Waste had come after her. Marinette decided she would have to have a wee talk with Chat Noir later. For now, it seemed, she would have to satisfy everyone's curiosity.

The whole "figured you liked being in disguise" is a nod to the book, which I love so much. I couldn't resist doing my own spin on this scene hkhjk