Okay, something was up with Marinette and Adrien. Alya hoped she wasn't getting ahead of herself with the thrill of hope that thrummed through her, but if her reporter instincts had taught her anything, it was to follow a lead when she saw one.

Seeing Marinette fall to pieces yesterday morning had been bad enough, but seeing Adrien Agreste of all people rise to the occasion instead of remain in his oblivious bubble was another thing entirely. It hadn't escaped Alya that Adrien looked just as rough as Marinette had, and it made the brunette wonder if something had happened between them.

While Marinette's crush on Adrien had tempered over the years and had even mellowed out enough for her to have given Luka a chance, it was still pretty clear to Alya that her best friend carried a torch for the boy. It'd been clear to Luka too and had ultimately been the reason their relationship had crumbled, although Luka had been understanding and graceful about it as he ever was.

So when she watched Adrien and Marinette leave the classroom that they'd all but locked themselves inside just before the bell rang for their subsequent classes, Alya's eyes narrowed in suspicion and she decided then and there that she'd get to the bottom of whatever this new development was.

Beside her, Nino watched her face with the practised patience of one who knew her moods, and caught her hand before she could jump up to rush over to Marinette's side.

"Give her some air, babe," He recommended sagely, tugging her back down to land in his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You're seeing her tonight anyway; you can ask her then."

Alya huffed, but leaned back into his chest for just a moment longer and tipped her head to kiss his jaw. She didn't know if it was his prolonged contact with Wayzz or if it was just a result of Nino maturing, but the older they got, the more centred her boyfriend became. Admittedly, it helped level her, too, so she shouldn't complain overmuch.

"Did he tell you anything?" She asked, knowing they were going to be late, but loathe to leave the warmth and security his arms brought her. Behind her, she felt Nino shake his head.

"Nah, I'm just as in the dark as you." His arms dropped and his hand caught hers. "Come on, I'll walk you to class."

Alya lingered just inside the front doors of their Lycee, waiting for Marinette to join her. She'd received a text from her friend saying she wouldn't be long, but that had been a few minutes ago, and Alya was getting a little impatient. Tapping her fingers on the strap of her bag, Alya huffed softly and struck out, walking with purposeful strides toward Marinette's last class of the day.

She didn't know if it was her heightened instincts as a reporter, or as her time fighting Akuma alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir as Rena Rouge that had her ducking behind a door, but before she knew it, she was crouched out of sight, peering around her cover carefully.

Marinette was standing a few metres away, her back pressed up against the wall, and in front of her, holding her there was Adrien Agreste. They both seemed to be arguing fiercely in hushed voices, and Adrien stood in a much more aggressive posture than Alya had ever seen him in before. It almost looked… Possessive? She wondered to herself, noting Marinette had absolutely no blush on her cheeks, and her eyes flashed with a level of brevity that Alya had never seen directed at the model before. If Alya hadn't known it to be them, she'd have thought… Well… She'd have thought it was Ladybug and Chat Noir arguing with one another, not her two friends from College.

"...Princess, time doesn't work like that, it's not a sure thing," Adrien's voice floated down the hall toward Alya's ears, pricking them with interest. He sounded frustrated, irritated as if he'd said these words before. Princess? Alya wondered, daring another peek at the two. Still, no sign of a blush on Marinette's cheeks, though she could see a telltale pinkening on the tips of the girl's ears. Ha, so there is still something. "You don't think-"

"Bunnyx said-"

"Bunnyx isn't telling you everything, Marinette!" Adrien fumed, straightening and pacing away from her a couple of steps before coming back to her. "And I don't care!"

"I do! You didn't see-"

"It won't happen," Adrien exclaimed, slashing the air with his arm and advancing on her with a fiercely predatory look that had Marinette squeaking and recoiling against the wall. "I won't let it happen. I won't do that to you, Marinette."

"Adrien… I…"

"Please," Alya's eyes widened as she watched Adrien's finger crook beneath Marinette's chin, tipping her head up so that her eyes could meet his. "Please, my Lady."

My Lady…

"Oh my God!"