First Order of Business | Adrienette

That's What Best Friends Are For

A/N: Another chapter I forgot to upload. This is supposed to be chapter 29 before "Legacy"

Marinette gets to her room when she sees a message from Alya asking if she can go over. She agrees and spends the next twenty minutes mentally making a list of topics to discuss with her so that Adrien doesn't come up. It's going to take a miracle to pull that off considering they'd be standing in the room where posters of him once graced the walls. Marinette really needs to get rid of them. She's not sure why she kept them in the first place, but they're in a bin with other memories from when she was a teenager.

While she waits for Alya, she looks up the contest that was announced at the conference and starts making note of the requisites and deadline. She has two months to put a portfolio of five designs together, and she's not sure if she wants to dig things up or make brand new things.

Alya breaks through the entrance to her cellar room, startling Marinette because of the sudden bang. She turns her chair to look at Alya who has an intense look on her face. Alya says, "Flan." Her parents can not keep their mouths shut, and Marinette hides behind her hands. "Your parents said you made a flan and by your reaction, I know they're not lying." Alya climbs into the room and drags a bean bag chair to sit in front of Marinette. "Who did you make flan for?"

Marinette sits back in her chair and crosses her arms across her chest. Okay. So there goes her mental list of distractions. "Who else?"

Alya lets out a dramatic gasp as if they were teenagers ago, "No way. No way. Marinette. Marinette Dupain Cheng. No way." Marinette pulls the collar of her shirt over her head and hides there. "You wouldn't even make me a single macaroon for my birthday!"

Marinette stays hidden but still points a finger in Alya's direction, "You never liked my macaroons! You said they were too bland."

"I don't but it would have been a kind gesture." Marinette pulls her shirt down to just show her eyes, realizing how much makeup is going to get on the shirt. She'll worry about it when she washes clothes.

Marinette tells Alya, "You're insane." Alya looks so offended, it makes Marinette laugh.

"Me insane?" Alya gestures at herself. "You're... what are you with your boss?" Marinette feels like she knows the answer but isn't too sure.

"We're just," she forces herself to guess. "Hanging out? I don't know, Alya it's been two days." She's not sure if she's ready to say dating to Alya, but Marinette is over ninety percent sure that's what they're doing.

Alya scoots the bean bag and herself even closer to Marinette, staring into her exposed eyes. She has her journalist look on her. Marinette is not leaving this conversation without saying every single detail. "Have you kissed him?" Marinette puts the shirt over her eyes again.

She meekly admits, "Yes."

"Oh my god," Alya whispers, which surprises Marinette. "It's over. You've lost it. You're insane. Mari, if this gets out to the press just a little-,"

Marinette comes out of hiding for one second to say, "You are the press." Alya glares at her before she hides.

"You know I wouldn't say anything at all. Look, do whatever you want just be super, super careful."

"We will." Marinette fully comes out of her shirt. Alya looks more worried than anything now, and she doesn't want her to think she's being reckless.

"Wasn't the photo from Kim's party enough adrenaline? All of Paris was zooming in on your blurry face."

Marinette reminds her, "Weren't you the one that wanted me to smooch him?" Marinette wasn't even stressing out about Kim's photo back then.

"Yeah," Alya says without denying it. "Maybe once or twice for fun to honor teen Mari. I didn't think you'd bake for him." She is worried. She has been since Kim's party because she knows how cruel the press can be, and even after all these years, she's always going to try to protect her best friend from anything and anyone.