Ways to be Wicked - Descendants 2 AU

Chapter 2

 Marinette's legs twitched, a staticy feeling crawling up from her toes as the royal dressmaker gave another firm tug on her corset. She had been standing on the dressmaker's stage for twenty minutes for her hopefully last alteration. With every passing minute, Marinette found it harder and harder to breathe.

"Ma'am," Marinette said quietly as the dressmaker finally tied off her corset. "I can't breathe."

"You can breathe when cotillion is over," Alya said snidely from where she sat comfortably on her bed. Her dress was a deep red with a halter neckline, her skirt starting short before forming a long train behind her. She had dark brown leather gloves going to her elbows that matched her shoes and was sparkling with gold accents everywhere. It was far more stylish than the purple and gold monstrosity Marinette had been tugged and shoved into.

"I sincerely doubt that," Marinette murmured as she looked towards her desk where an open planner sat. Her days were covered in scribbled notes and enough colored sticky notes to blot out the pages. "I have at least 20 more events directly behind it, and I can't even remember what a single one is."

Alya, either oblivious to or completely ignoring Marinette's distress, circled her friend with an eager expression.

"Impeccable," Alya told the dressmaker. She placed a hand on the woman's shoulder with a grin. Only Marinette noticed the way the older woman flinched at Alya's touch. "You've done a stellar job, miss."

"Alya!" Marinette shouted, causing the little old dressmaker to almost jump out of her skin. "You're not listening to me!"

Magic prickled Marinette's fingertips, a familiar and comforting feeling after having shut it away for so long for Adrien's sake. Her blue eyes glowed menacingly, causing the dressmaker to whimper. Alya stilled for a moment before helping the older woman towards the door.

"Thank you, ma'am," Alya said in the most polite voice she could muster. Marinette's stomach curled at her tone, at how tame her friend had become. "I think we're done for the day."

"But the dresses - "

"Will be returned to you by the end of the day," Alya interrupted as she ushered the woman out the door with her sewing kit and tape measure. "Bye now!"

There was a resounding thump, and for the first time that day since she had woken up, Marinette was alone with her best friend.

Alya leaned back against the dorm door as Marinette collapsed onto her bed, furiously patting and swatting at the layers of fabric and tulle she was wrapped in. She fell onto her back, laying spread eagle as she let out a furious groan.

"Okay..." Alya started slowly, watching her friend curiously from her post at the door. "We gonna talk about this?"

"Do you ever wonder what we'd be doing if we were back on the Isle?" Marinette said quietly, her body shuddering as she released her secret into the world - a hidden longing that she had been harboring for quite some time, a personal longing that she refused to believe was homesickness.

From the door, Alya let out a snort. She waved Marinette's question away easily enough as she turned towards the news channel that she had playing in the background during the alteration process. Alya and Marinette had an odd penchant for actually liking the Auradon News Network, Alya for the reporting, Marinette for the royal relations and diplomatic news. She had stopped watching it when she became the topic of discussion.

"You're funny, girl," Alya said with a huff before sitting back down on her own bed. "Look who's on TV!"

Marinette cringed when she saw herself sat at a low table in Near East clothing, Adrien at her side while Aladdin and Jasmine sat across from them. Nadia Chamak's voice twittered away over the video.