Disclaimer: I don't own ML.

Massive shout-out to my friendos in the salt Discord, whose sheer saltiness kept me going.

"Dammit!"

"Alya?"

"I left my textbook back in class," Alya says when her third search of her bag proves fruitless. "You go on."

"You sure?" Nino says. "I don't mind coming with you, babe."

Not for the first time, Alya finds herself smiling at the way her boyfriend jumps to offer his help. It's one of the things she loves so much about him, and it's one of the things that makes him a fantastic Carapace. Even if that did work against them in the Heroes' Day fight…

"I think I can grab a book by myself," Alya teases. "Besides, you can't keep Lila waiting. You know how she hates being abandoned ever since her friend in Brazil left her in the middle of the Amazon."

"True." Nino leans down to peck Alya on the lips. "See you there, babe."

With a wave over her shoulder, Alya turns the corner into their classroom's corridor…and promptly crashes into an unpleasantly familiar yellow figure.

"Hey, watch it!" Chloe Bourgeois snaps. "This cashmere jacket is worth more than your entire house!"

"Uh huh," Alya deadpans. "Whatever. Move so I can grab my book."

Chloe moves, sure, but not in the way Alya wants. Instead, she grabs Alya by the upper arm and yanks her so that their backs are to the wall, allowing them to slide up to their classroom door.

"What the hell are you doing?" Alya hisses.

"Shush!" Chloe slaps a hand over Alya's mouth. "Adrikins is in there with Dupain-Cheng and I want to know what they're up to!"

"You're really that desperate to get a life?" Alya tries to say, but the hand over her mouth muffles her speech. With a smirk, she licks it, and Chloe lets out a quiet shriek and immediately starts rubbing her slick hand on her white pants.

"…don't know why you're still sticking up for Lila!" Marinette's saying. "She broke into your home! She got Kagami akumatised!"

Oh, Marinette. That girl still believes Lila's a liar? Seriously, she needs to get over herself and stop being so jealous over Adrien. Alya's expecting Adrien to tell Marinette off – and he does, but not for the reason she thinks.

"Outing her won't do anything, Marinette," Adrien says. "You know that. If we humiliate her, she'll be akumatised again!"

"So what?"

There's a quiet gasp from Adrien. "Do you really not care if she's targeted by Hawkmoth?"

"Adrien, we can't keep living in fear of her getting akumatised! We're giving her the power by doing that!"

"She's not hurting anyone –"

"She's hurting me." Marinette's voice is so soft that a shell-shocked Alya has to lean in closer to hear her, forgetting that she's currently eavesdropping with Chloe. "I nearly got akumatised the day she came back to school."

"But you weren't! You're strong, Marinette. You can –"

"I can what?" Marinette gives a harsh laugh. "Be strong for everyone? Put myself between them and Lila to protect both sides?"

"Yes! You're our everyday Ladybug!"

"Oh. I see." There's the sound of footsteps, and Alya and Chloe tense, but it sounds like one of the two in the room is just crossing over to sit on a desk or something. "I didn't realise that I was expected to sacrifice myself for everyone."

"Marinette, you know that's –"

"– not what you meant? Save it, Adrien. I thought we were supposed to be in this together."

"We are!"

"Yeah? Really? Then why am I the one copping the brunt of it? Why haven't you done anything to support me since Lila became Chameleon?"

"Don't you dare –"

"No, don't you dare! I'm the only one you ever seem to stand up to! Chloe bullied us for years, but I'm in the wrong for being happy that she was leaving! Lila's lying to all our friends – your friends, not just mine – and hurting people everywhere she goes, but because it's not affecting you, who cares, right? Do you even care that Kagami got akumatised because Lila broke into your home and posted that picture lying about being your girlfriend?"

"You're being really mean –"

"No! I'm snapping, Adrien! I can't stand by and watch her mess with my friends because I'm the only one willing to call out her lies! I thought you had my back, but all you've done is do nothing! You haven't even been collecting evidence or anything to justify sitting back and waiting! How the heck is she supposed to get caught in her lies when we don't have any proof? You've seen how everyone believed that Max's eye could get cut with a napkin!"

"But her lies aren't hurting them! They might be upset when she's outed, but no one's actually being hurt!"

"I'm being hurt!" The thump sounds like Marinette stomping her foot. "She threatened me in the bathroom, Adrien!"

"She what?" Alya hisses. Her brain, still trying to reboot from the revelation that Marinette's right and Lila has been lying to them, immediately sparks back to life from learning that someone had threatened her best friend.

"Shh!" Chloe says.

"Oh, but I'm not anyone, am I? I wasn't akumatised, so I have to be the strong girl and put up with it to keep the peace. And if I am akumatised then I'm just being overdramatic. Who cares if I'm hurt, so long as everyone else is fine? I told you, Adrien, it feels like I'm nothing to you. The universe humiliates me every time I try to – never mind."

"Try to what?"

"Doesn't matter. I've just finally had my eyes opened. Thanks for helping me see reason."

"Huh?"

But Marinette doesn't respond. Alya jumps when footsteps start to approach the door, and it's Chloe who thankfully recovers quickly enough to drag her past the door and a little way down the corridor so that Marinette hopefully doesn't see them. Thank god Marinette heads towards the courtyard instead of in their direction, so she doesn't see them.

"Are you shitting me?" Alya says. "Lila was lying – Mari was right – and Adrien's done nothing?"

Chloe rolls her eyes. Before Alya can do anything, Chloe's elbowing the classroom door open and storming inside.

"Adrien!" she barks. Alya slips inside just in time to see Adrien jump.

"Chloe! Alya! What –"

"Oh, cut the bullshit." Chloe jabs Adrien's chest with her finger. "We heard everything."

"You knew Lila was lying," Alya growls. "You've known all this time. And you said nothing!"

"Alya –"

"You let me believe all of Lila's stories! Didn't you care that she was trying to drive a wedge between me and my best friend?"

"And I bet she was lying about being Ladybug's best friend too." Chloe crosses her arms. "Like Ladybug would want to associate with someone like her. Not hurting anyone, my ass. She let me humiliate myself with some stupid Ladybug dance!"

Now that's a story Alya will have to get someday. But not today. "Do you know what this could do for my blog? I've poured my heart and soul into the Ladyblog, and you were just gonna let me ruin it by believing some liar! Oh, but that wouldn't have hurt me, right?"

"Please!" Adrien's green eyes crinkle. Any other time and Alya would be out hunting for whoever hurt Adrien…except that this time, he doesn't deserve that protection. "I don't want to fight –"

"And that's your damn problem!" Chloe snarls. "Me, Césaire, Lahiffe, Tsurugi, Dupain-Cheng…we've all been hurt by this lying bitch. Especially Dupain-Cheng. Or did you miss the part about Rossi threatening her?"

"I didn't know about that! Marinette didn't tell me!"

Alya snorts darkly. "Like that matters," she says. "The minute you knew Lila was lying, you should have told us! Your friends! And now I have to sit there and hold my best friend and help fix her broken heart when it didn't have to be broken in the first place!"

"Huh? Broken heart?" Adrien blinks.

"Ugh, and I have to sit and hold Dupain-Cheng's hand as well," Chloe says. "Thanks, Adrien, for making me have to show girl solidarity."

"Since when do you do girl solidarity?" Alya says. "Especially with Marinette?"

Chloe's face twists. "Ever since I was Queen Bee, I've…wanted to start being…nicer. A better person. To prove that Ladybug wasn't wrong to trust me. Okay? You happy now?"

"Uh…I'm not judging you," Alya says slowly. "I think Ladybug makes us all want to be better. And hey, I'm not gonna complain if she gets through to you."

It's barely there, but there's the faintest hint of a soft smile on Chloe's face. Or maybe Alya imagined it.

"You guys –"

Chloe cuts Adrien off with a hand. "I know you've grown up not standing up for yourself, so you're not drawn into the middle of things," she says. "But for god's sake, Adrien, you have to grow a spine sometime if you really wanna join the real world."

Adrien flinches and takes a step back as if he'd been struck. "How could you say that, Chlo? I can't – if I speak up, Lila could treat –" He breaks off, but Alya knows too well what he'd been about to say.

"She could treat you like Marinette?" Her voice is soft but full of barely-contained rage. "You really did throw Marinette to the wolves, just to avoid conflict. You should have done something to show her you were on your side!"

"Like what?"

"Like finding proof! Compiling evidence! Convincing me and Nino! Something to show Marinette that even if you weren't as brave as her, you still had her back!"

"Right, like you can talk!" It seems that Adrien has finally reached his breaking point. "You're the one who called Marinette jealous and started picking Lila over her!"

"No! You don't get to go there like they're anywhere near the same!" Alya jabs a finger at Adrien. "I didn't know that Lila was lying! You did! And I'm not saying I'm innocent in this, but if I'd known that Lila was picking on my best friend, I would've taken her on for Mari in a heartbeat!"

"Alright, both of you, shut the fuck up," Chloe says when Adrien swells. "We're getting nowhere. Adrien, shut up and use your brain. Césaire, you're coming with me to find Dupain-Cheng before you slap Adrien."

"I'm not gonna slap him!" Alya protests. Chloe raises a perfectly made-over eyebrow.

"Your hand's twitching. Look, Dupain-Cheng needs you more right now. You can tell Adrien off more later."

"You're the one person I thought would be on my side, Chlo." Adrien puts on the Look of Disappointment. Thankfully, Chloe seems to be immune to it.

"Like you were on my side when I was leaving for New York?" she snaps. "Oh, you could lecture Dupain-Cheng, but it's not like you actually did anything to support me or try and stop me from leaving. How's the high moral ground, Adrikins?"

Adrien reels back as though he's been slapped. Alya tries not to pinch herself, because since when does Chloe scold her precious Adrikins?

"Césaire, that wasn't an invitation for you to stick around," Chloe says. "Go and find Dupain-Cheng. I need to have a talk with my friend alone."

Marinette! That's right! Alya could kick herself for forgetting about her best friend in her determination to tear Adrien a new one. But first, it's time to suck it up and do something that she never thought she'd do.

"Thanks, Chloe," Alya forces herself to say. "Ladybug would be proud of you." The way Chloe's eyes light up inform Alya that, as painful as that had been, it had been the right thing to say.

"Just get out of here, Cé – Alya. I have to make my best friend apologise to Dupain-Cheng."

Alya scrambles out of the room and towards the courtyard, praying that Marinette doesn't run into Lila because after what had just happened with Adrien, she's not sure how her best friend would cope. Unfortunately, her prayers aren't answered.

"What the heck, Marinette?" Kim's saying when Alya emerges into the courtyard to find her classmates facing Marinette, with a crying Lila between them like they're protecting her. "You just pushed Lila!"

"What?" Marinette says. "Why would I push her?"

"We all know of your dislike for Lila," Max says. "There's a seventy-seven-point-six chance that you did push her just now."

"G-Guys, it's okay," Lila sniffles. Dear god, how did Alya never see how fake that girl's crying is before? There aren't even any tears! "I know that Marinette doesn't like me, although I don't know what I could've done…"

"She's just jealous because Lila's into Adrien," Alix says. Now, Marinette's crush being outed might not have been so bad normally – embarrassing, sure, but not life-crushing – if not for the fact that Adrien and Chloe had just entered the courtyard behind Alya, signalled by the sound of two sets of footsteps. And judging by the gleam in Lila's eyes, which Alya's kicking herself for never noticing before, the snake knows exactly what to do.

"Alix!" Lila gasps before Alya can stop her. "I appreciate you standing up for me, but I didn't want you to say that in front of Adrien! Marinette's his friend and we wouldn't want to make him uncomfortable!"

Marinette's face whitens to the colour of chalk when she turns and sees Adrien staring at her with wide eyes. Alya's trying to speak up, to tell everyone that Lila's a liar and they need to lay off Marinette, the girl trying to protect them, but Adrien gets in before she can.

"Is that true, Marinette?" he says.

"I – I –" Marinette turns frantically, staring around at the sea of unfriendly faces. Alya's in motion before her brain even reboots.

"Marinette's right!" Alya rushes over to Marinette and pushes her best friend behind him. "Lila's a liar!"

Lila gasps. "Alya! I thought we were friends! How could you say that?"

Alya looks Lila right in the eye. Lila's green eyes are glossy, but there's something terrifying and dangerous deep in them that Alya's kicking herself for never noticing before.

"You're nothing but a lying snake," Alya hisses. "I heard Adrien and Mari talking about you. Adrien knows you're lying!"

"Uh, babe?" Nino appears by Alya's side, but he's not reaching for her hand or making any supportive movement. "What are you talking about?"

In response, Alya points at Adrien. "He's known that Lila's been lying this whole time! And he never told any of us, because she wasn't "hurting us". But he was perfectly happy to stand by and let Lila push Marinette around and drive us from her!"

"Alya?" Marinette says softly. Alya turns and grabs her best friend's hands.

"I'm so, so sorry for not believing you," she says. "And I'm sorry for thinking you were just jealous. I've been a rotten best friend."

Marinette ducks her head, but the small smile crossing her lips makes Alya's heart soar. "You don't have to apologise, Alya –"

"Marinette!" Lila wails. "You turned my friend against me? How could you?" Ah, so now Lila's going on the direct attack rather than indirectly attacking Marinette.

"Adrien wouldn't just stand by and let someone lie to us like that." Nino crosses his arms. "Dude wouldn't do that to his best friend."

"Exactly!" Lila latches on to Nino's arm and bats her eyelashes. Alya bites back a growl because no damn way is she letting Lila Rossi get a rise out of her. "Adrien's very sweet and loyal and trustworthy. No wonder Marinette has a crush on him!" She gasps and covers her mouth. "Oops! I'm so sorry, Marinette! I didn't mean to confirm – oh, no!"

"Wait, what?" Adrien says as everyone else rushes to reassure Lila that no, she's not a horrible person for throwing Marinette under the bus like that. Marinette's white face has now turned a sickly shade of pink.

"You know damn well that you meant to do that, you lying bitch!" Chloe snarls. She's now next to Alya, shielding Marinette from the murmuring crowd.

"Mari, are you okay?" Alya turns again and grabs Marinette by the biceps. "Don't let that liar get to you."

"Well, Adrien knows now," Marinette says with a weak laugh. "Time to move to New Zealand and change my name to Marino and dye my hair –"

"Not gonna happen," Alya growls. "He doesn't deserve you. He's been throwing you under the bus to save his own skin."

"Akuma!" someone shrieks. Alya whirls around and gasps at the sight of the little black butterfly that's fluttering down to the crowd. Everyone screams and jumps away, parting like the Red Sea until the only people left in the akuma's path are Alya, Marinette, Chloe, Adrien and Lila.

"It's heading for Dupain-Cheng!" Chloe pushes Marinette back. "Get away, you nasty bug!"

Lila barely smiles, but Alya still catches the sinister little look. Before her very eyes, Lila starts angling towards the akuma while pretending she's backing away – no way, Lila wants to be akumatised, Marinette was right, what a lying bitch!

"Adrien! Protect Lila!" Alya says. Lila screams when Adrien grabs her and she starts fighting against him, crying something about how he mustn't sacrifice himself for her, but Alya's not buying that crap, Lila just doesn't want to be pulled away from the akuma –

"Sort yourself out, Dupain-Cheng!" Chloe barks when the akuma descends even closer.

"I'm trying!" Marinette says.

It happens almost in slow motion. Just before the akuma can sink into Marinette's earrings, Alya shoves Marinette out of the way. Suddenly, white-hot rage surges through her – rage at Lila, at her classmates, at Adrien, they all need to pay, no one hurts her best friend –

"Hello, Défenseure," says a deep, smooth voice. No, no, no, this can't be happening – fuck off, Hawkmoth! "Your best friend has been wronged by those you trusted. I'm giving you the power to defend her against those who wish to do her harm."

"Alya!" Marinette's voice is far away, warbled, distorted like she's underwater – dimly, Alya realises that she's on her knees and everyone's backing away from her, but not Marinette, Marinette's there with her and shaking her, and Chloe's with her. "Don't listen to him!"

"I don't need your power, Hawkmoth," Alya gasps. She digs her nails into her arms, trying to ground herself against the poisonous fury seeping through her veins, beseeching her to say yes, to accept this dark power to keep Marinette safe from those who don't deserve her. "Leave me alone!"

"And just how do you plan to unmask Lila, hmm?" Hawkmoth's voice is soft and persuasive, burrowing into Alya's brain. "I can give you that power. You can protect Marinette and show everyone Lila's true nature. All I need in return is Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses."

"Alya, please!" Marinette's face swims before Alya's eyes, hazy, slipping in and out of focus, her blue eyes glossy with tears. "Push him out!"

"If I can say no, you can too!" Chloe says. "Fight him, Alya!"

"You'd do anything for your friends," Hawkmoth says. "I admire that. Such a noble soul. I want to help you, Défenseure. You've been lied to and turned against your best friend. You want to make that right, don't you?"

Alya's shoulders slump. Hawkmoth's right. If she hadn't overheard Adrien and Marinette, she'd never know that Lila's a liar. She'd still be thinking of Marinette as jealous, still be choosing another girl over her best friend…

"Okay, Hawkmoth."

The last thing she sees is Marinette's horrified face, before she's falling down, down into the darkness…