Marinette woke up an hour eariler than she usually does on Saturdays. But she hasn't been sleeping well lately. But could you blame her? On top of dealing with problems with school, she's also had to deal with being Paris's lead protector. But what's been hurting most of all is her heart.
She still had residual feelings left for Adrien. But could you blame her for this either? Adrien is very kind and nice but that wasn't enough to form a romantic relationship. He's made it very clear that they are just friends. Cat Noir on the other hand, he was amazing. She wished that she recongized her feelings for him sooner because now it seems as if she lost her chance... maybe forever. It was all just so exhausting. If only there was a solution to her problems.
Then, Marinette had an idea. But in order to do it, she needed Alya's help.
Later, Alya came over as usual. When Alya comes to visit, it's typically for planning or hanging out like they're normal teenage girls. But not today. Today, Marinette had something to tell Alya.
"Hey, Marinette. Thanks for having me over. What did you want to tell me?"
"I have something very important to tell you and Tikki."
Alya sat on her bed and leaned forward to show that she was listening. "Okay, go on."
"Yeah, we're both listening, Marinette."
Marinette pulled down her screen which was now covered in pictures of both Cat Noir and Adrien. "So, as you two both know, I used to like Adrien."
"What do you mean 'used to'?" Alya questioned. "You clearly still like him and now might be your best chance to say something."
"No way, Alya. I'm telling you, Adrien just isn't good for me. We weren't supposed to be together. Unlike Cat Noir." She then pointed to the pictures of her partner in crime. "Cat Noir is amazing in so many ways. But as much as I want to move our relationship, I can't because I can't know who he is behind the mask. Which leads me to my solution." With one swift motion, she knocked all the pictures of Adrien and Cat Noir off to reveal one picture of Ladybug that was placed perfectly underneath.
Alya and Tikki looked in silence and confusion. "Wait..." Alya tried. "What does Ladybug have to do with this?"
"You see, Alya, it's simple. If I keep trying to chase love, I'll just get hurt. So I started thinking who would be perfect solution and that's Ladybug." Neither of them looked impressed as Marinette explained herself. "Think about it, I can be with someone who understands me, can keep me safe, extrememly nice, and best of all, I don't need to worry about keeping my identity a secret from them. It's perfect."
According to the looks on Alya and Tikki's faces, it was not in fact "perfect."
"Marinette," Tikki said. "I know you're hurting but do you really think that dating yourself is the best decision."
"Good thing I'm just dating Ladybug and not myself."
Alya interjected before Tikki could say anything. "But you are Ladybug! You are literally the same person!"
"Ladybug is the protector of Paris, Alya. I, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, on the other hand am just a normal girl with a normal. But as of right now, I have a secret that no one knows yet. Which is where you come in, Alya."
"What?"
Marinette walked over and put her hands on Alya's shoulders and stared her dead in the eyes. "I need you to post about my relationship with Ladybug on the Ladyblog."
"WHAT?!"
Marinette then took a step back from Alya as she went on to explain. "Yeah, everyone knows the best place to find Ladybug content is on your blog. Sooo... if you make a blog post about how I'm dating Ladybug, everyone'll know!"
"I-I... WHAT?! Marinette, I love you. You know I love you and I would support any romance you want to have, expect maybe Lila, but this is..." She gestured around wordlessly. "I don't even know. I can't describe it."
Tikki then flew next to Alya doing her best to also help describe the situation. "She's right Marinette. I know you've had your heart broken a few times but you should think over this more."
"But I have. I've thought about it and I realized that only way to stop thinking about Adrien or Cat Noir would be to start a relationship with someone who understands me."
"But what about Luka?" Alya was pleading with all her might.
Marinette crossed her arms and brushed her off. "Luka's in the past. Besides, Luka doesn't know my identity which is my main problem with Cat Noir."
It was becoming clear to Alya that Marinette was determined to date Ladybug and the worst part about it is that she made some sense. Not to mention, this would be a good way to keep her identity a secret. No one would suspect that she's actually Ladybug if she was... dating Ladybug.
"Alright," Alya said, defeat in her voice. "I'll post about your relationship on the blog." Marinette jumped for joy but Alya wasn't done yet. "But I have a few conditions. I'll post about it on Monday just to give you more time to think about it."
"Okay, fine."
"Second, the moment that this gets out of hand, I'm shutting it down." Alya then stuck out her hand. "Do we have a deal."
Without a moment of hestitation, Marinette shook Alya's hand. "Deal!"
