When Alya came into class, the first thing she saw was the crowd surrounding her seat. She blinked before shouldering her backpack and marching on.
"Hey!" Alya shouted as Kim's elbow nearly smashed against the side of her head. Kim didn't even notice her - instead, he kept nudging Max and pointed at something that wasn't in Alya's view. She muttered, "what the hell is going on?"
"Someone left something for Marinette," said an almost-snide voice from beside her.
Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulder, for once out of its tight and sharp ponytail. Alya couldn't help but admire the fine, golden strands. Personally, she thought that Chloe looked much more approachable like this.
"Marinette?" Alya repeated.
Chloe sniffed delicately and crossed her arms. "I don't know. I saw some flowers, and also what was probably a teddy bear. Honestly, what a lame gift. I personally would have given her some cookies - she likes them, doesn't she?"
Alya eyed her side companion. "Erm, yeah, she does. How do you - ?"
"She makes excellent honey and citrus pastries," Chloe continued saying, now paying no attention to the other girl. "I'm going to have to pick some more up later."
"Since when do you like honey?" Alya demanded.
Chloe arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and fluttered her eyelashes. "Honey is actually wonderful , thank you very much - it soothes the skin and also tastes amazing. Don't ask questions that aren't important, honey."
She turned on her heel and walked confidently away, golden hair waving gently with her movements and leaving behind the scent of her citrus-y perfume.
Alya blinked after her, both a little stunned and a little dazed.
"Marinette!" Rose cried out.
Marinette? When - ?
Alya felt her face flush in embarrassment as she realized that she was still staring at the back of Chloe's head with slight wonder, and so hadn't even noticed when the door opened to reveal her best friend. Alya shot a dirty look towards Chloe, feeling like it was her fault that she'd been so distracted.
"Look!" Rose continued to say as she ran up to Marinette and grabbed the bewildered girl's hands.
Their classmates parted like the Red Sea and revealed what had captured their attention so much. Alya's jaw dropped along with Marinette's.
Upon the table (it was pushing into Alya's space too, ugh) was quite possibly what an explosion of Valentine's Day looked like. And it wasNovember .
The sheer amount of roses and teddy bears was enough to stain someone's eyesight red and pink for years. The roses were obviously freshly cut, dew still clinging to their soft velvet petals, the smell of flora in the air. And standing behind the quite frankly mountain of flowers were large dolls. A giant blue teddy bear with a little guitar clutched in its left paw, a large fat black cat with mischievous green eyes and a rose tucked in its fangs, and lastly, the prettiest doll that Alya had ever seen. It had a pink, lacy bonnet with her dark hair combed neatly into two pigtails, its smile was gentle and its cheeks blushing slightly, its dress a lovely gown that had floral print and its feet tucked into two little pink slippers. It was beautiful, it was cute, it was -
It was Marinette.
"Mon dieu," Alya breathed.
Marinette squeaked.
"For my most fair princess," Nino read, picking up the card that was sitting delicately on top of the roses. There wasn't a signature or an indication of who left it except for a small little cat paw print at the bottom.
"I-I think I need to sit down," Marinette said faintly, and hurriedly, everyone made room to do so, bringing out a chair and someone even producing a hand-held fan out of nowhere.
"What is that silly kitty doing?" Marinette mumbled to herself, but luckily, Alya was close enough (she had been massaging her shoulders) to hear what she said. Kitty? A cat?
Alya's eyes darted to the smirking cat doll and the paw print on the card. She closed her eyes and inwardly groaned.
'Marinette, what on earth have you gotten yourself into?'
"Wow, Marinette! Someone must really like you."
Alya was ready to smack Adrien Agreste in his pretty face (well, maybe not really, she adored him too much) when he bounced into the classroom with too much beaming and sunshine from his smile - what on earth was he so happy for? The last Alya remembered, he'd been mooning and moody over both the rain and the fact that Marinette seemed to be over him.
(To be honest, Alya was still puzzled over that last one. When the hell did Adrien suddenly become interested in clumsy, love-stricken Marinette? He had regarded her as a friend but was endlessly oblivious to her more-than-friends feelings for ages.) (Alya still had whiplash from the sudden change they both had.)
"Mon dieu. So it wasn't just me, then."
Alya's mental groaning doubled as the now recognizable calm voice sidled up next to Adrien. The blond's face went an incredibly bright pink as Luka gave him a soft smile, and dear god, Alya thought, those two were made for each other.
Alya glanced back and saw Marinette's wistful gaze.
Erm, those three, then.
(Honestly, Alya had no idea what was going on with those three. All she knew were these three facts: one, that Marinette was definitely infatuated with Luka. Two, Adrien was definitely infatuated with both Marinette and Luka. And three; Luka was more than absolutely infatuated back with both of them.)
(It was enough to make her want to tear her hair out of both frustration and fascination.)
"All those roses got petals everywhere on the boat," Juleka mumbled from beside her brother.
"What?" Marinette squeaked.
"What?" Alya squawked.
"He has good taste, doesn't he," Luka chuckled, walking up to the three giant dolls still sitting on Marinette's desk. He gently stroked the cat's cheek, black nails gleaming in the lights of the classroom. His voice was more far-off than before as he continued speaking, like he was mentally moving past the confines of the room and instead sitting beside someone else. "He's so sweet…"
Alya stared as both Adrien and Marinette went the most unbecoming shades of red.
"S-So you liked it?" Adrien managed to choke out, and god, that almost gave Alya whiplash. A stuttering Adrien was certainly a rare sight, and it was acting up even more lately.
"I thought they were lovely." Luka's voice was even softer than before, and the rest of their classmates were completely silent, because the fragile bubble surrounding those three were something none of them would dare to even come near. It was so soft around them, and mixed with the gentle pattering of the rain outside, Alya could feel her chest warm at the absolutely romantic atmosphere.
"What do you think, Marinette?" Luka smiled gently at Marinette, and almost unconsciously, his hand was rubbing the stuffed cat's ear, and interestingly enough, Adrien's own ears were getting redder by the second.
"They're wonderful." She breathed.
Alya mouth dropped slightly, and then the spell broke.
Marinette let out a sound close to a dying duck as she practically ran to her seat and then buried her face into the back of the blue bear's back. From the looks of it and Alya's Marinette-deducing-skills, she wouldn't be coming back up anytime soon.
Adrien wasn't faring much better - his face was utterly mortified, and he refused to look at anyone as he ducked his head and raced to his own seat, taking out his tablet and pen and then looking straight forward with glazed eyes.
Luka was better, and with only lightly dusted pink cheeks, he calmly sat down beside Adrien and started unpacking his things.
Alya could only watch with suspicious eyes, and even more suspicious thoughts.
Only one thing raced through her mind:
'Marinette and Luka have both got a cat in their hands.'
XxXxXxXxXxX
Once again, Alya was left on her own during lunch, best friend nowhere in sight and no Nino to flirt with, either.
And to be honest, the loud and ground-shaking boom in the distance seriously wasn't a surprise.
"Oh, lord," Alya rolled her eyes, but the slight amusement washed away as the side of the school disappeared in a mess of deafening sounds and cement and glass shooting at the students.
"Guys!" Alya screamed as people ducked and shouted. There were cries of pain everywhere, skin being cut with sharp shards of glass, others forming large and nasty bruises from pieces of stone hurtling at them. "Please, calm down, we - "
She was cut off as there was yet another boom.
Alya could only watch in despair as students merely started whimpering and crying, huddling close to each other to make wide mass, and god, how was she going to fix this? They were too scared, too frightened, their hands shaky and their pupils dilated with fear. They can't stay here, right near all this debris and an Akuma that was bound to appear any second, so think, think, how can she move them without causing any more panic -
"You all need to move, now!"
A sleek, black-clad hand grabbed at Alya's waist and soon she was in the air, clutching desperately at her hero's neck. Golden strands flew around them.
"You've got a lot of nerve, Alice. Those rocks can really hurt you."
The voice was soft, almost sweet, a lot quieter than the commanding roar from before. Alya was a little stunned as she looked up to see serious baby blue eyes staring down at her, surrounded by a black and yellow mask that seemed too sleek and too firmly attached to be any simple material.
Alya opened her mouth, a stream of questions ready to be released, except instead, she said, "it's Alya."
The girl merely hummed, acting aloof.
"My name is Alya."
"So I heard," the girl said, and gently set Alya down on the cracked tiles of the floor. She stood up straight, the black stripes of her costume bold and the yellow even bolder in the dark setting of cold rain splattering in the background and the stormy clouds rolling over. Her blue eyes were piercing and almost icy as she looked over the shivering, huddled mass of the students. The soft, sweet gaze from before was gone, and standing before Alya was an actual hero. She was too shocked to even fumble for her phone so she could capture the almost movie-perfect moment.
"Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here soon to confront the Akuma," the hero said, her voice crystal clear and sharp beyond the loudness of the thundering rain. "You need to all leave - quietly. This Akuma heavily relies on her hearing. I've apprehended her for now, but it won't last long. The rain will cover your noises for now. Now, walk, but quickly, and go out the doors and home. If you encounter the Akuma stay as still and quiet as possible."
The hero glanced at Alya. "And for god's sake, someone take Allison so she can't get herself into trouble again."
Alya went red - from anger or embarrassment, she didn't know, but she spouted, "watch yourself, fuzzbutt!"
The girl merely arched an unimpressed brow. "Queen Bee, actually. I'd rather not be known as 'fuzzbutt' on your blog."
And with that, her almost fairy-like translucent wings rose from her back and she floated up. "I'll go and confront the Akuma for now, but please, try to get out of here as quick and possible."
As the students streamed out of the doors, their footsteps muffled by the loud rain, and Alya hesitated, because she had so many questions. About what, she wasn't too sure where to even begin. Why'd you become a hero? Are you any good at wielding your weapon? Do you know who Chat Noir and Ladybug are? Do you know why Marinette's been acting so weird because I know it has something to do with Chat? Will you be okay?
"Adriana, now is not the time to just stand," Queen Bee said, and she pointed a slender finger at the door, where the last few students were streaming out of. "I have to go see Madame Streamer and keep you all safe - "
"Do you know Marinette?" Alya blurted out.
Queen Bee, who had been about to fly out the gaping hole in the wall, paused, wings fluttering harder until she was practically vibrating in the air. She looked over at her shoulder to Alya. "No."
"You're lying to me," Alya immediately responded.
Queen Bee merely shrugged nonchalantly. Then she sighed, and her gaze became deeper and softened, voice gentle as she said, "go home, Alice."
With her honey-golden hair streaked with black whipping around her, Queen Bee flew away, becoming a blur and nothing more as the grayness of the rain covered her.
"My name is Alya." She said weakly, even if no one was there to hear her.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Luka watched, his blue eyes almost fascinated as he observed the three blobs of red, yellow, and black clashing again and again with the silent yet ominous Akuma. They were certainly a force to be reckoned with, Luka thought to himself.
He crouched there, low in the safety of the school building with a good amount of students beside him, all of them shaking and terrified. Juleka was clutching almost desperately to Rose.
Luka's hands curled protectively around his backpack, the weight of it significantly heavier than it had been the previous time he came to school, and he thought of the precious book he had inside of it, one with an ancient language he still couldn't decipher too well and one that he knew held secrets to a world he didn't know even existed before.
He needed to keep it safe, and guard it with his life. He could not let it ever fall into Hawk Moth's hands.
"I hope they'll be okay," Luka said softly, arms around his backpack and eyes glued to the intense fighting scene. He jolted when Chat Noir was slammed into a tree, and even from here he could see his shivering shoulders and pale skin, Luka's jacket drawn tight over him. A chill went down Luka's spine and fear gripped his throat, squeezing it until he felt like he couldn't breathe properly.
Please, he thought. Let them be safe.
"He'll be fine."
The voice was new but not unrecognizable, and Luka blinked in mild surprise as he turned his head to see Nino right beside him, face serious with his shoulders drawn tight and his brows frowning lightly.
"You think so?" Luka murmured.
"I know he will," Nino said immediately. "He's a tough one. I know he's really weak right now, but…" He shakes his head.
"He doesn't seem to like the rain too much, huh?" Nino muttered.
"No," Luka's shoulders went rigid when Ladybug was tossed high up in the air and only barely managed to catch herself. His stomach swooped like her yo-yo did. "He doesn't."
"Still," Nino countered. "Chat's a good guy. He's an awesome hero - he'll be okay."
Luka eyed Nino in slight awe, and curiosity warmed his voice. "Yeah?"
Nino smiled at him. "Yeah."
What an unwavering confidence - Luka admired that.
"So what do you think about that new one?" Nino said, interrupting Luka's suddenly racing thoughts.
The older teen looked outside again, and observed - Queen Bee's wings worked furiously against the rain, using the blowing winds to her advantage and slamming the Akuma with her trompo, the weapon leaving behind a streak of bright yellow and bold black streaks whenever she rapidly twirled and threw it. Her fine golden hair was whipping around her, the ponytail doing nothing to hold back the look fierceness of the black-streaked hair as it flew in the air alongside her. She was a force of nature with Ladybug and Chat Noir.
Luka knew she would make a wonderful hero - she already was one.
"I think she's a good person," Luka said out loud.
The sadness that had been in her eyes lately was replaced with determination and resolve - he admired the way the Miraculous had given her a purpose once more, a chance to prove herself, and these days, he could see the effects it had on her. The way she walked more confidently, no longer tipping her head down in shame, how her words flowed more and her inner kindness showed, how her hair had now become loose to show she was free from her previous vices, and how her stormy cerulean eyes had become the softest of baby blues.
She'd certainly been the right choice as a Holder.
"I can't believe this is only her first battle with them," Nino said almost disbelievingly, and Luka couldn't blame him.
The way she twirled and danced in the air while wielding her trompo was entrancing - she'd been training for a while, he bet.
"She'll be just fine," Nino continued to say, and once again, Luka eyed him curiously.
His confidence in the heroes of Paris was, once again, unwavering. It was so… unexpected, really, because it seemed like Nino only did that. Believe in their powers and in themselves, his support never faltering, voice strong and leaving no room for argument as he kept declaring their worth and awesomeness.
Luka thought back to the weight of his backpack, at the book it held, and remembered reading a little passage after a (torturous) evening of translating each symbol so he could at last understand it.
'He is the pillar of support, for he is the base. He is the anchor that ties them all to the earth, and his presence is the rock, which bounds them all together in a way no other can. He will never bow his head, for he is the earth, steady and hard, unyielding to the wind or seas. He will receive the utmost trust, because in return, he gives the utmost devotion and grounding.'
Luka's thoughts swirled, glancing at Nino and then to his backpack, and he felt the heavy thumping of his heart in his chest as he realized that he was thinking of something he thought would take longer and more searching and leave him bone tired. But the answer was right under his nose, sitting two seats to the left of him, and he almost laughed out of the sheer incredulity.
His eyes flickered from Nino and back outside to the finishing up battle scene, Ladybug already spinning her yo-yo to a butterfly made of nightmares and darkness as it tried to desperately flutter away.
When he glanced once more at the boy beside him, he thought to himself, 'he'd look good in green.'
XxXxXxXxXxX
Soooo… you need better updating time? Then I really think my AO3 and Tumblr is better. Try redyarns at both.