Chapter 25

Alya pounced on her phone the second it rang. She had drifted into a fitful sleep sometime in the early hours of the morning, victim to visions of reality and imagination that collided into gruesome, twisted nightmares. She shook off the lingering image of Marinette's haunting, lifeless eyes as she answered the call.

"Hello?" She answered in a rush as she shoved on her glasses and checked the time on the bedside clock. 7:23 AM.

"Alya?" Marinette's voice sounded through the phone and tears immediately flooded Alya's eyes.

"Marinette!" She nearly shouted on a sigh of relief. "Where are you!? Are you ok? I've been so wor-"

At the sound of the doorbell chime, she launched herself out of bed and ripped open the door. Marinette stood there safe and whole, though obviously exhausted. Alya threw her arms around her and choked back a sob.

"No one knew if you survived the fall." She choked out as her tears wet Marinette's hair. "I was so worried you were out there injured, or...or worse." She pulled back and looked her friend over. "Are you hurt?"

Marinette shook her head.

"I'm ok." She replied as they entered the house. "Just some bumps and bruises, but some of those I probably had already." She attempted a chuckle but it sounded hollow. She continued in a more serious tone, "Chat Noir caught me in time and tucked me away somewhere safe while they fought Spindra. I heard Ladybug got hurt pretty bad though."

Alya nodded grimly as she sunk wearily onto the sofa and attempted to rub the lingering sleep from her eyes. The few hours of tormented sleep she had gotten had left her feeling raw.

"People were starting to think she had been killed." Alya sighed as she gathered her disheveled mass of curls into a messy bun.

Marinette averted her eyes as she sat down softly. She couldn't tell Alya how close it had come to being a reality. Chat had barely managed to save her life by risking his own. It was only by blind luck that she hadn't lost him in the process. Grief and longing filled her chest with a palpable ache. She couldn't face a future that didn't include him. She would gladly listen to every awful pun, if only he would remain by her side. As her partner, yes, but with a jolt she realized that was no longer enough. She needed more. She needed to see behind his mask as he had seen behind hers.

"She cleansed the akuma about an hour ago." Marinette finally replied. "That must mean she's alright."

Alya hummed in agreement and rested her head on Marinette's shoulder, taking comfort in the solid proof that her friend was still alive.

"Yeah, I suppose so. I'm glad it's finally over." Alya sighed heavily. "I could use some caffeine. How about you?"

Marinette shook her head as a yawn overtook her.

"More like a week's worth of sleep." She moaned and Alya huffed a laugh.

"Same, girl" Alya stood and stretched. "Wanna crash here for a bit?" She gestured toward her room.

"I need to get home to see my parents." Marinette replied as she wearily rose to her feet. They felt like lead. "I stopped by here first because I knew a phone call wouldn't count as sufficient proof of life." She teased with a weak but playful grin.

"Well, you're right about that." Alya playfully poked her in the shoulder as Marinette headed for the door.

"I'll text you once we've both gotten the chance to get some sleep." Marinette promised as Alya pulled her into a hug. "See ya later."

"Later, girl." Alya replied then waved her off.

She clicked the door shut then released a long breath as she rested her forehead against it. This incident had sparked a fire that was taking root in her core. She had to do something more about this. She needed to. She just had to figure out exactly what that was.