Marinette saw a boy standing next to Nino's DJ booth at a party and she wasn't interested in him. She really wasn't. She didn't like blonds, especially blond guys. She usually preferred darker-haired guys, like her ex, Luka. He was a good guy, but they ended things when she went to university and he went on tour to open for Jagged Stone.

She kind of resented the fact that Alya made her come out that night. She didn't really want to see people or meet people. She knew that she needed to, but she dreaded the idea of meeting someone when she and Luka had just broken up a few weeks ago.

Marinette bit her lip, trying to ignore the fact that the boy across the room was looking over at her and she clutched onto Alya's arm. She turned away from the DJ stand and the boy, moving over to a table that was covered almost entirely in liquor. She grabbed a container of cran-raspberry juice and poured an ounce or so of vodka into a plastic cup, filling the rest with juice.

She gently shook the cup to combine the liquids and took a sip, happy that she couldn't taste the alcohol when she took a sip. She knew that Alya had taken her to the party to meet someone to get her mind off of Luka, but she didn't think she was ready to find a new relationship, or even just a fling.

"I'm not ready," she told Alya, but apparently the protest fell on deaf ears as she saw Alya waving someone over out of the corner of her eye. "Luka and I dated for years and we only ended things a few weeks ago." Alya was used to the claim from Marinette.

"I know, Mari," Alya assured. "You keep telling me that, but I knew you during your whole relationship with Luka. You're the one who told me that it sometimes felt like you were dating him because it was what people expected." Alya placed a hand on her best friend's upper arm, trying to get through Marinette's thoughts.

Marinette knew that Alya was right, but she didn't really want to admit to it. She liked Luka as a person and she had enough feelings for him that she wasn't opposed to dating him. Nothing ever felt wrong with their relationship, but that didn't mean that anything felt particularly right about it either.

Plus, there was always the Chat Noir of it all. She knew he'd had feelings for him when they first met, but he understood and stopped trying to flirt with her once she told him that she was seeing someone. She hadn't mentioned the breakup to him because she didn't see a reason to, at least not yet.

She loved him, he was her best friend, but she never considered him being more than that except for a few dreams she had about him back when she was younger. Again, she wasn't particularly fond of blonds, most of them just reminded her of her childhood nemesis, Chloé Bourgeois, and she was willing to admit her bias in that case.

"It still feels wrong to move on so quickly," Marinette responded, "aren't you supposed to go through some sort of mourning period after a long relationship ends?" She knew Alya was the wrong person to ask. Alya and Nino had been dating since they were 13, which was at least five years ago at that point.

"Only if you think you need to mourn the relationship," Alya assured, "and that's up for you to decide, but as your best friend who loves you and cares about you, I think you're just looking for excuses to not get back out there and find someone else who will make you happy. I don't know why you're doing it, but I think that's what you're doing."

Marinette knew she was right, but she wasn't about to admit that to anyone, especially not her best friend. "That's a matter of opinion," Marinette landed on before taking another sip of her drink in hopes of loosening up for the evening ahead of them. She noticed that Nino was still at the DJ stand, looking at Alya from his place.

The boy who had been standing next to Nino was no longer there and Marinette couldn't help but to let out a short, relieved sigh. She knew Alya had her best interests in mind, but it was difficult to think of excuses not to socialize.

She didn't think any relationship would be the same as it was with Luka. He was her first real kiss, one that wasn't caused by an akuma and she cared about him. It would also be different because if she got close to someone else, she wouldn't be able to tell them about her second life.

Alya had been her best friend for years and had no idea that she was Ladybug. Luka only found out because he was Viperion. He only admitted that he knew because he was dating her and she suspected that if they weren't dating, he probably would have kept the information to himself. He never even hinted at his time as Viperion to Marinette or anyone else before that.

"I'm not even trying to set you up on a date at this point," Alya told Marinette. "I just want you to meet Nino's friend because we think the two of you could get along well. You both like video games, know fashion, can hold your own against me for the title of Ladybug and Chat Noir's number one fan-"

"He likes the heroes?" Marinette questioned. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised, plenty of people liked Paris' heroes, especially the main duo. However, she had never thought someone else would be able to even get close to knowing as much about the heroes as Alya. Marinette knew she only had the knowledge because she is one of the heroes.

"Of course," Alya responded. "Honestly, who doesn't? Ladybug and Chat Noir have been the two most important figures in Paris for years. I think that Adrien would fight you about who the better hero is, though. He's also the only person I've met besides you who isn't afraid to critique the heroes after a fight. It's kind of gutsy, honestly."

Marinette couldn't help but to silently agree with Alya's statement. Maybe she could get along with this guy, but that would involve meeting him and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that or not. She didn't have much time to think about that, though.