Chapter 18: Relax
[N/A: A short chapter, I felt like posting something.]
/-/
[Aiden's Residence - 6:00 am]
The day is just beginning when Alya slowly wakes up. She tries to stretch, but something stops her. She opens her eyes and realizes that Aiden is still holding her with one arm. "Oh... right," she murmurs, as the memories of the previous night flood back in a rush of images. She sighs and rests her head against Aiden's chest, trying to relax. Just a few more days, she thinks, Aiden will leave and everything will go back to normal. I just have to keep this a secret... from my parents, from Nino... from Marinette.
But then, like a lightning bolt, something important crosses her mind. "MARINETTE!" she exclaims, sitting up quickly and accidentally shaking Aiden.
"What's wrong?" he asks, still groggy, as Alya scrambles to find her phone. She quickly unlocks it and checks the time: 6:00 am.
"Oh no, no, no..." she whispers to herself, starting to get dressed in a hurry. Aiden watches her, confused by her sudden urgency.
"Is everything okay?" he asks, sitting up and looking at her.
"Y-yeah, everything's fine," Alya responds with a nervous smile, trying to sound convincing as she finishes buttoning her shirt. "I just remembered something important I have to do."
Aiden raises an eyebrow, doubtful. "At 6:00 am?" he asks, staring at her.
"Mhhmm... yes," says Alya, trying to sound casual, but her tone betrays her. Aiden looks like he's about to insist, but then shrugs.
"Alright. If you need a ride, give me a minute to get ready."
"No!" Alya exclaims, more emphatically than necessary. "I mean... it's not necessary. Really, I'm fine," she assures, backing up toward the door and grabbing her bag.
As she passes by a mirror, she notices some visible marks on her skin, unmistakable reminders of the previous night. "Oh no..." she murmurs to herself, touching one of the marks on her neck. Without thinking much, she grabs a scarf and a hoodie of Aiden's that were hanging on a coat rack.
"I hope you don't mind me borrowing this," she says quickly, not waiting for a response. "Thanks!" she adds before running out and closing the door behind her.
Alya rushes down the stairs as quickly as she can and heads straight for the front door, feeling her heart pounding. Once outside, she hides in a corner, making sure no one has seen her. She activates her transformation with a whisper and applies an illusion to disguise herself. Without looking back, she hurries to leave the place.
[Marinette's Room – 6:30 am]
Alya enters Marinette's room, dispelling her illusion and transformation as she moves cautiously, trying not to make any noise. But before she can relax, she hears a voice that stops her dead in her tracks:
"You didn't make it back in time."
Alya's heart skips a beat. Marinette, still in bed, watches her with narrowed eyes. Alya freezes, feeling a cold sweat trickle down her back as she sees her friend slowly sit up. Marinette sits at the edge of the bed, her gaze seeming to pierce right through her.
"How long have you been awake?" Alya asks, trying to keep calm.
"A few hours," Marinette responds with a calmness that only makes Alya feel more uneasy. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened?"
Alya swallows hard, feeling the air grow thicker. "W-well, you see... the thing is..." she tries to mumble an excuse, but Marinette doesn't give her a chance. She stands up with fluid movement and begins to circle her, her steps slow and calculated, like a predator stalking its prey.
"New outfit?" Marinette asks, pointing at the hoodie and scarf covering Alya.
Alya stammers, clutching at the clothes. "Y-yeah... it was really cold, and Aiden kindly gave them to me," she says, trying to sound casual as she nervously fiddles with the edges of the scarf.
"I see," Marinette responds with a calmness that's making Alya even more tense. "Well, now that you're inside, shouldn't you take them off?"
"N-no, it's not necessary," Alya replies quickly. "I think I'll keep them on a little longer. I'm still cold."
"Cold?" Marinette watches her closely. "If you're that cold, why don't you change and put something more comfortable on?"
Alya laughs nervously. "Well... I like how I look right now. Heh... haha..."
Marinette stares at her, her tone becoming colder. "Alya..." she says in a serious voice that makes her friend's smile fade away. "Take off the clothes."
Alya steps back, raising her hands as if to defend herself. "Marinette, I know we're best friends, but I don't think it would work between us..." she says, trying to play it off.
Marinette isn't fooled. She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. "Alya."
Knowing that her plan didn't work and that Marinette basically has her figured out, Alya sighs in resignation. Slowly, she takes off the hoodie and scarf, revealing the marks on her neck and a few on her back.
Marinette calmly observes the marks, but her gaze speaks louder than words. "Would you believe me if I told you they're mosquito bites?" Alya tries, forcing a smile.
Marinette steps around her, looking at the marks more closely. "And are you also going to tell me you fought with a cat?" she asks with irony, pointing to a mark on her back.
Alya sighs, completely giving in. "Ahh... What do you want me to say?"
"The truth," Marinette says firmly, locking eyes with Alya.
Alya walks to the bed and falls onto it, staring at the ceiling while she thinks about what to say. In a sad tone, she murmurs, "Am I a bad person?"
Marinette sighs and lies next to her, turning her head to look at her. "No," she responds softly. "I think what you did... what you're doing to Nino, isn't right. But that doesn't make you a bad person."
"Thanks," Alya says quietly, not taking her eyes off the ceiling.
"I hope you understand that what you're doing is still horrible," Marinette says.
"I know."
They both fall silent for a while, letting the words hang in the air, until Marinette breaks the stillness. "Are you going to break up with Nino?" she asks directly.
"No," Alya answers firmly.
Marinette nods, as if expecting that answer. "And what about Aiden?"
Alya closes her eyes and sighs. "He's not going to stay. His job is to travel, find talented people... he can't stay."
Marinette listens in silence, noticing the mix of resignation and sadness in her friend's voice. Finally, she asks, "How much longer?"
"Just a few more days, until my evaluation ends," Alya responds, not moving from her position.
A few seconds of calm pass before Marinette, slightly blushing, breaks the ice with another question. "So, how was it...?"
Alya laughs softly, a mix of embarrassment and satisfaction. "Better than I expected," she admits.
Marinette, still blushing, changes the subject and suggests, "Do you want me to help you cover up those marks?"
"Yes, please," Alya says, in a more relaxed tone as she turns her head to look at her friend with gratitude.
[Somewhere – 11:00 am]
Nino is sitting with a distant look, his phone in hand. He's on a video call with Adrien while glaring, frowning, at the latest blog post just uploaded by Alya.
In the video, Alya speaks enthusiastically: "There's so much talk about Ladybug, but very little about Cat Noir. He is, without a doubt, an amazing superhero! Brave, funny… handsome!"
The sound of the compliments makes Nino clench his jaw tightly, feeling his anger boil inside him. On the screen, a montage of Cat Noir's most spectacular acrobatics starts playing.
"I knew it," Nino growls, abruptly closing the video and turning his attention to Adrien's face on the call. "She's in love with someone else!" he exclaims, furious.
Adrien looks at him calmly, trying to calm him down. "Nino, calm down. You have no proof of that."
"Who else could she be in love with? They spend all their time together!" Nino says, pointing out the obvious.
Nino opens his mouth to respond. "Cat Noir!" he spits the name like it's poison.
Adrien can't help but burst out laughing, which only fuels Nino's fury even more. "You think this is funny!? Have you seen the video!? It's obvious!" he protests, pointing at the phone as if the device could back up his outrage.
Adrien, trying to control his laughter, responds: "Please, Nino. It's a video for the Ladyblog, nothing more. That doesn't prove anything."
"I'll find the proof," Nino declares vehemently, ending the call abruptly. "And you'll see I'm right."
[9:00 pm]
Nino, using all his "brainpower," had come up with the best plan he could think of: wear a hat and a mustache as a disguise and wait outside Alya's house to spy all night. Although his plan seemed stupid, he got lucky when Adrien —or rather, Cat Noir— appeared, landing silently on Alya's balcony.
Cat Noir had one mission in mind: to make sure Alya didn't have romantic feelings for him. The thought of that being true made him uncomfortable.
Knock, knock.
Cat Noir taps gently on the windowpane. Inside, Alya, focused on typing on her computer, jumps at the sound. When she looks up and sees him, she quickly rushes to open the window.
"Cat Noir! Is there trouble?" she asks, visibly concerned. For a moment, her mind fills with questions. "Why would he come to find me? Cat Noir shouldn't know I'm Rena Rouge..."
Cat Noir raises a hand to calm her. "No, no trouble. Nothing serious, at least," he says with an awkward smile. "It's just that I saw your latest video about me, and, well... I'm flattered, really!" he adds, placing a hand over his chest theatrically.
Alya blinks, surprised by the unexpected turn. "Oh… well, I'm glad you liked it," she says, somewhat confused by his visit.
Cat Noir takes a deep breath, visibly nervous. "This is a bit hard to say," he begins, avoiding her gaze. "Look, you've been around us from the beginning. You take photos, record videos... we've even saved you a couple of times. And, well, I just wanted to make sure you didn't... develop feelings for me or anything like that."
Silence fills the room for a second. Alya looks at him incredulously, then, without warning, bursts out laughing loudly.
"HAHHAHAHA! What? You think I...?" Alya can barely contain herself. Her laughter fills the room, causing Cat Noir to lower his ears, clearly embarrassed.
"No, I haven't developed any feelings for you," Alya says between laughs, placing a hand on her chest while trying to catch her breath. "Besides, I have a boyfriend."
Cat Noir, relieved, lets out a deep sigh. "Phew, that's a relief," he says, and then starts laughing too. "Sorry, I must look like a total idiot, huh?"
"A little," Alya responds with a teasing smile, but her tone is kind.
Cat Noir, wanting to redeem himself, extends his arms and hugs her. "Thanks for not taking it badly. I really am sorry," he says before saying goodbye. He leaps off the balcony and disappears into the night, now sure that everything was fine and that Nino just had an overly active imagination.
But in the street, hidden in the shadows, Nino watches the whole interaction with a sinking heart. His camera records the final hug between Alya and Cat Noir. His eyes fill with tears as he interprets the scene as confirmation of his worst fear.
Without saying another word, Nino turns around and begins to run, distancing himself from Alya's house.
-/-
Author's note: Did it seem rushed? Well, I'm putting the turbo on. The first part of this world ends in the next chapter or two. There will be several things left unanswered, but I'll save those for when I return to this world. Anyway, leave a comment; I love reading advice.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
SalveYing
SalveYing Did you find a mistake? Then tell me, I’ll probably fix it... maybe
Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone