The other day I had a thought, and the thought was this; Alya is really cool. And imagine how amazing it would be if she was the first to know Ladybug's identity. So, I wrote a fanfic about it.

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Alya glared at her computer screen. She really wanted to look away, but she just… couldn't. It should be her out there, chasing after the akuma, not that stupid news reporter. She always got there first, always got the best shot, but not this time.

This time she was grounded.

She pulled up the Ladyblog to post an apology for her absence, but was distracted by the battle on her screen. Annoyingly, it was closer to her house than any of her friends' houses, so she couldn't even ask one of them to film it for her, but it wasn't quite close enough for her to see from the window. Every now and then, there was a puff smoke in the distance, but that was it.

She couldn't really blame her parents, after her last stunt almost put her in hospital. At least it had been good footage… But that didn't exactly make up for the battle she was missing. Both of Paris' superheroes looked exhausted, although Chat Noir had a determined glint in his eye, still avoiding each attack with practised ease. Ladybug, however, was flagging.

The akuma shot a beam of light towards her, her back turned away from it. Chat Noir dived for her, knocking her to the ground, dazed. A quiet conversation passed between them, Chat Noir pulled her into his chest quickly. Alya gasped at the scene. Ladybug never let Chat Noir show affection, especially in public. She always brushed off his flirting, or ignored him completely- so what was happening that she was letting her partner act like that?

The akuma flung something past their heads, barely missing them. Chat Noir helped Ladybug up, both of them leaning heavily on the other. Alya could no longer see any enthusiasm in Chat Noir; he looked afraid, and Alya was reminded that they mustn't have been any older than her. As Rena Rouge, she'd never felt afraid of fighting against akumas, but as Alya… She was confident, but no one was that brave. A chunk of building went hurling for them, the heroes' eyes widening as it neared. This time, Ladybug was the one to throw Chat Noir out the way, shoving him to the ground.

Alya froze, watching dust fill the camera, the cameraman falling over, blind. She ignored the confused stream of questions coming from him, searching desperately for any movement. She wasn't sure that Ladybug had moved out of the way. Had she been hit? The rubble settled a little, silence filling the space. The cameraman coughed roughly, breathing heavily. Alya was suddenly very glad she wasn't there. A panicked cry split the air, a black blur scrambling from the wreckage. Alya saw that the akuma had disappeared, a confused women standing in its place. She hadn't seen them destroy the akumatised object- did Hawkmoth recall it or had she missed it?

Alya wished she could do something to help, wished she could call for Trixx and go and see for herself. She wished she held the fox miraculous permanently so that she could always be there for her masked friends. But there was nothing she could do, but wait.

She slumped in her seat, sighing with relief, when a familiar red-clad figure emerged, being held up by Chat Noir, who watched her closely. Anyone could see how much he loved her, how much he cared. She stumbled out of his arms, Alya releasing a shaky breath as Ladybug's magic rushed around Paris. It did nothing to fix the superhero's obvious fatigue, nor Alya's growing concern. Chat Noir said something to her, but she pushed him away with a dismissive wave and a smile, before jumping away.

xXx

Alya had been staring out the window for a while, when there was a loud thump on the roof, startling her away from her thoughts. The light was dimming, the sky dark and still. Alya opened the window, leaning out backwards so she could peer up at the roof. "Move, Alya," A soft voice called down to her, "Quickly." She could hear the desperation in the quiet order, and Alya did as she was told, stepping aside. Ladybug dropped into the windowsill, looking ready to collapse.

Alya was shocked- it had been hours since the akuma attack. Where had Ladybug been that whole time? It didn't look like she'd detransformed, or if she had, it hadn't been for long. She barely recognised her as the strong, confident superhero she had come to know; this girl was just that- a girl. A tired, defeated girl who… came to her house?

"Alya, I need you." Ladybug told her.

"But there's no akuma, why do-" Alya began, confused, before Ladybug interrupted her, resting against the wall.

"I don't need Rena Rouge. I need you."

"Me? But-" Alya's words where lost in the pink glow that filled the room, her vision going dark for a second. She blinked it away, barely having time to catch the girl as she crumpled to the floor. "Marinette?" She asked incredulously, heaving her friend onto the bed, "You're Ladybug?" Marinette nodded slightly, head drooping with sleep, "Sorry I didn't tell you." She yawned, eyes struggling to stay open. Marinette was Ladybug. Her best friend. Why wasn't she surprised? She should have been surprised by that, shouldn't she?

Alya gazed down at her, watching as she curled up into a ball, giving in to her tiredness. All Alya's shock, or lack of it, melted away in seconds, seeing her friend- beloved superhero of Paris- lying on her bed. She thought about Marinette, going into danger, facing akuma after akuma after akuma. She thought about today; what if Ladybug had never gotten out from under that rubble? What if she had died? Alya couldn't stand the thought of losing Ladybug and Marinette- what would she have done if her best friend was suddenly just gone?

So, she couldn't help but smile, as she sat beside Marinette, patting her on the head. "Okay, girl," Alya told her, pulling a blanket over her, "We'll talk soon."

Alya remembered how helpless she had felt earlier, without the power of her miraculous, but maybe- just maybe- this was better. Because even though Alya was hurt that she didn't tell her, Marinette had chosen to come to her when she needed it. If she'd never been Rena Rouge, she wouldn't have understood that Marinette was trying to keep her safe when she kept this secret from her, just as she kept hers from Marinette.

Her breath caught in her throat, heart beating wildly. Marinette trusted her with a miraculous. She could have chosen anyone, but the fox miraculous was given to her… Of the thousands of people in Paris; her. Alya had this whole other side to her, this superhero side, because of Marinette. The choked breath she'd been holding back came spilling out, Marinette stirring. She sat up slowly, and Alya fought her tears.

But Marinette chose her. And now she was looking up at Alya like she'd never made a better decision.

"Alya?" She asked, half asleep, "What's wrong?"

"It's all okay, Mari." Alya reassured her, making her lie back down, "These are happy tears." Marinette smiled, pulling the blanket around her shoulders, "Okay, Alya, I like happy tears." Alya chuckled, suspecting that Marinette's exhaustion was making her delusional. She'd have to find out why she was so tired later.

Alya settled next to her friend, mind still reeling from all the revelations. Marinette reached towards her, finding her hand, squeezing. "Alya?" Marinette asked, "Could you go tell Mon Chaton I'm okay? I'm sure he's worrying. He'll be near the Eiffel Tower." Alya nodded, even though Marinette was already unconscious again, and laughed at her nickname for him. Her kitten- is that so?

Alyasmiled, amused. There was going to be a whole new level of teasing when she woke up; Adrien and Chat Noir. Although, there was still the chance that they were really the same person beneath the mask. It wasn't exactly a big leap between appearances, but their personalities were a little hard to match. Oh well, Alya thought, preparing to sneak out of the window, maybe I'll find out.

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I have the next chapter planned out, and ready to be written, but if anyone has any ideas, leave a review or PM me and we'll see what I can do! Nothing's set in stone yet, so if there's something you really want to see, share it with me. Thanks for reading!