Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They say that in times of near death experiences or even death itself, a person’s life flashes before their eyes. Marinette had never dwelled on that before, she didn’t like to think about it, that your life could truly play out in front of you in a flash and then boom...you were gone. Yet here she was, her life playing out like some sad teen movie as the light engulfed her. Why? Why did this happen? She knew how it happened, but she still couldn’t wrap her head around the why? Why did Chat betray her like this? They had a plan, they knew Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste and that his assistant Nathalie was Mayura. It was going to be an ambush. Chat’s kwami Plagg had found his lair and had told them how to get there. It was perfect. Next akuma they would have Viperion (Luka), Donryu (Kagami), Fox-Tail (Nathaniel), Noc-Turtle (Marc)  and Bee-Witch (Chloe) distract the akuma while Chat and her went to the Agreste Mansion to break into the lair then ambush Hawkmoth aka Gabriel. Ideally they were hoping to catch Nathalie off guard and deal with her before they entered the lair but when they had arrived she wasn’t at her desk in front of Gabriel’s office which meant she was most likely in the lair with him, but they knew it was a possibility so they proceeded down as planned. Then...then her own hell manifested. She hadn’t realized it, not at first, she had been battling Mayura, she had managed to pin her and had turned to see how Chat was faring against Hawkmoth and was shocked to see they weren’t even fighting, they were staring at her. 

Before she could ask what Chat was doing, or rather what he was not doing he darted toward her and she thought with relief, he was going to help her. Why was that not what happened? Chat grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from Mayura, Marinette tried to struggle against him and she would have won if Mayura hadn’t started to help restrain her. It was a blur, but she knew she got some hits in, she did everything she could, she kicked, she threw punches wildly, she bit, she threw her head in every direction hoping it would strike and smiling viciously when it did. They took her yoyo as she felt herself forced onto a chair, it creaked from the pressure, she still tried to fight. They tied her to the chair using everything at their disposal it seemed, rope, cables, duct tape, she still tried to fight. Hawkmoth was yelling, Chat was trying to soothe her, looking at her like he didn’t just fight her and restrain her onto a chair, she reared her head back and headbutted him, she was still fighting. 

“What the fuck My Lady!? Here I am trying to help you and you go and break my nose! Me-ouch!” Chat spit out from behind his hand a bit of blood followed the words.

“Help me?” Marinette screeched indignantly. “How is fighting me and helping the enemy tie me to a chair helping me!?”

“I’m helping all of us! Why don’t you see that?” 

“We don’t have time to waste. The earrings.” Hawkmoth commanded and Marinette had this sick feeling in her gut as she looked from the villain she had been fighting since she was 13, back to her partner, was he even my partner to begin with? , and saw how he nodded and smiled before looking back at her with his wide, wild toxic green eyes. She leaned back as much as she could scowling and baring her teeth, she would do whatever she had to if it meant keeping the earrings safe, when Chat reached towards her she turned her face as quickly bit his hand. The answering yowl made her want to smirk in vindication, even as he shook his hand she still held on with her teeth till she felt someone yank on her hair, hard . She didn’t immediately let go even if the pain was great, her teeth scraped the leather of Chat’s suit the whole time she was pulled away but she didn’t care. What she did care about was the fact that the hand in her hair didn’t let go, she briefly glanced back to see the unmistakable blue of Mayura. Before she could even think to try and struggle still she felt another hand grab her jaw to keep her in place, seeing as Chat had both hands visible she had to assume Mayura was holding her with both her hands since she could also see Hawkmoth standing in the back. Not being able to do much other than growl, she opted to growl out her frustration.

“Growling isn’t very lady like Ladybug.” Chat of course put emphasis on the ‘lady’ in ladylike as he went for her earring on her left ear first. Marinette did her best to keep her tears at bay. She would not cry in front of them, she would not allow them that satisfaction.

It was like a rip when he removed the first earring. It made her gasp, it wasn’t exactly pain, not at first, it was more this overwhelming sense of discomfort, like having a popcorn kernel stuck between every single tooth and gum. Why does it feel like this? It’s never felt like this before? Then the pain hit and Marinette had to grind her teeth in order to not make a sound, she wouldn’t give them that pleasure, but God , it hurt so much. She could feel parts of her transformation bubbling, almost sizzling and falling off. It was bizarre, never had a transformation falling felt like this, but then again, never had she had her earrings forcibly removed. There was barely any time to brace herself when she felt Chat go for the other earrings and this time, this time she couldn’t hold back the scream that clawed its way out. The pain was too much, it was so different that the first one, this time it was a burning sensation coupled with her muscles feeling like every single one of them had been pulled. She could distantly hear voices, but ultimately they were muffled by her screaming. 

“Stop being dramatic Bugaboo.” She could hear Chat laughing, when she opened her eyes it was to see him looking down at the earrings in his hand. There was a soft gasp coming from somewhat behind her so she willed herself with the small amount of strength she had to look back and saw Nathalie Sancoeur staring back at her with big eyes. It almost made her snort, the older woman may have been surprised to see that Ladybug was none other than her, plain Marinette, but Marinette had guessed Nathalie was Mayura. Who, by the way, did not look so great. Her transformation had been dropped and she was pale, there were bags under her eyes and her breathing was labored. Even though she had just helped to take her earrings, Marinette still felt pity for the woman, she knew she was going to die if she continued to use the peacock, but seeing as Hawkmoth, no Gabriel seemed to have won, maybe there was hope for her to get better. Marinette knew better though. She had read the Grimoire pages about damaged Miraculi, she knew the damage they dealt stayed unless the broken Miraculous was fixed and the kwami of the Miraculous was feeling merciful. 

“Marinette? It’s...Oh my God...You’re you!” Her head snapped back to Chat fast enough she felt a slight strain. The look in his eyes made her want to puke, he looked in awe and almost in love. There was no way she would say it was actual love, more like obsession that he in his deluded mind convinced himself was love. 

“We don’t have time for this. The earrings and the ring, now.” Gabriel growled, his transformation was also dropped, Marinette saw Nooroo for the first time and wished she could comfort the kwami. He looked so drained. 

“Chat. I’m begging you. Don’t give him my earrings or your ring! You don’t understand what will happen!” Marinette was desperate as she pleaded.

“Plagg, claws in.” There was a loud gasp, it took a second for her to realize it was her who had made the sound. Standing where Chat had been was her ex-crush, ex-friend, Adrien Agreste and gone was the lovesick look he had been giving her as he walked over to his father. His father! “No. You don’t understand, Marinette! This! All of this is for my mother. Don’t you...Don’t you want me to have my mother back?”

“Listen to me Chat-Adrien...even you Gabriel. You don’t want to make this wish! It might bring your wife back, yes. But every wish comes at a price!”

“I think you’re lying to save your own skin Mlle Dupain-Cheng.” Gabriel replied as he took the earrings and ring from Adrien and put them on himself carefully. 

“What would I gain from lying? Nothing! If you make this wish there is going to be a price you aren’t going to be able to handle!” 

“Adrien. Quiet her. Now.” Gabriel gritted out. Marinette could tell he was experiencing the clash of power between good and bad luck. Creation and Destruction. He wasn’t even transformed yet and Marinette could tell the power was overwhelming him. When she had read the Grimoire about the “Balanced Yet Always Fighting” Power, or that was the closest translation anyways, Marinette liked to call it the Ambivalence Power, the book spoke how many could not handle the Power and themselves would decay on the spot. It was considered an instant action of the Power, instant Karma, to bring the two Miraculi together was considered an evil act, so to counterbalance it, the Power would take the life of the user if they could not bear it and make a wish quickly. 

“Yes Father!” Adrien hastily agreed and all Marinette could do was glare at him, and when he approached with a piece of duct tape she did her best to lean away even if her energy was all but gone. He was anything but gentle as he slapped the duct tape over her mouth. 

“Now I can begin. It’s finally happening Adrien, we’re going to get her back.” Gabriel gave his son a smile and Marinette pitied the joy on Adrien’s face, knowing that was probably the first real smile his father had given him since his mother had gone missing. “Tell me your names Kwamis.” 

“T-Tikki…” Tikki grit out, the look in her eyes promised harm.

“Plagg.” The black cat Kwami spat out with disgust as he hovered as close to Tikki as he could.

No.

No this couldn’t be happening. Not after everything she and her team had gone through, not after everything Paris had gone through. She couldn’t lose to her former partner, to betrayal. A betrayal she should have seen coming, it felt so obvious the more she thought about it and the more she thought about it the more the dread turned into a blinding white-hot rage that was consuming her alive. Adrien as a friend had ultimately been lackluster but she had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, since he was a sheltered kid and all, granted he was rich, but being rich did nothing for neglect and sheltering. It hid it a little better but it was like a layer of wallpaper slowly stripping away. But there was only so much you could ignore and excuse. Then there was Chat Noir. Where to start with Chat Noir? She had wanted to make excuses for him for so long but the longer they remained partners, the more annoyed and uncomfortable she got. 

And yet, even to the end, she made excuses for him. She told herself he was just going through some things, that’s why he had been acting weird about the plan. Why he had looked so hesitant to bring the tormentor of Paris down, she thought it was just because they thought they had eliminated him as a suspect before. Obviously she had been wrong but the hurt she had felt over the realization turned into slow flames licking at her heels. The heat grew more intense the more Gabriel and Adrien spoke, the more she looked at Emilie Agreste in that stupid coffin and the more she felt the presence of Nathalie behind her, quiet as could be. It was suffocating and she knew she was trembling and she hated to think these jerks believed for one second that it was out of fear, because it wasn’t, it was out of pure unadulterated rage. Things seemed to be happening in slow motion around her as she tried to rein in the overpowering waves of rage that seemed to want nothing more than for her to drown in them. 

Her heart was pounding in her ears, she couldn’t stop crying, the trembling increased and she couldn’t help but curl her fingers into her palms as much as she could while being tied to the chair and all. The nails cut into her palm and she felt multiple sharp stings and a feeling of wet warmth and yet she couldn’t find it within herself to care. All she could focus on was the way her ears buzzed as she tried to focus on Gabriel, she couldn’t even make herself look at Adrien, if she was doomed she would face this head on even if everything sounded like it was underwater. She had no clue what Gabriel was spouting, Marinette had no interest in his self-important monologue, but she did care about the way Tikki and Plagg looked at Gabriel. Looked at her. They were just as hurt and betrayed as she was and that only made the fury inside her boil more. She had never felt so angry, she had never felt such hatred but she had felt fear and she hated how she felt it at that moment. She didn’t want to be afraid. But emotions were rarely logical even if they were predictable. 

Marinette couldn’t tear her eyes away from Gabriel, apparently he was done monologuing because she watched as he got into a stance, one that suggested he was going to transform and all she could feel was an overwhelming desperation in combination with her rage. Maybe it was pointless, maybe it was stupid, but she struggled against her restraints with all the energy she had left as she saw Gabriel open his mouth, no doubt to transform and unify Tikki and Plagg. She could hear a cruel laugh or two when she fell on her face due to her efforts, but it didn’t matter, none of them mattered. If her fall distracted Gabriel, even if just for a few precious seconds it would have been worth it. She growled as she used the adrenaline coursing through her to somehow get herself onto her side, she was still tied to the chair but it was better than being on her face. Her nose was bleeding, her wrists and ankles were raw from struggling and yet she couldn’t and wouldn’t focus on those. She had to do something, anything!

Before she could yell in the hopes it would distract Gabriel enough to stall for time, so that maybe, just maybe, her team would realize something was wrong, she heard a whistle. Not a human whistle, more like the whistle of an object traveling at a great speed, it distracted her and thankfully everyone else. Its pitch got higher, which meant it was most likely getting closer and though Marinette wanted to hope it was her team, she just couldn’t feel any hope at the moment. Then there was the sound of impact… multiple impacts actually, like the thing, whatever it was, was penetrating the house from the roof. She could hear the panic from the others, someone yelled something about a bomb but somehow Marinette knew it wasn’t. Whatever it was though called to her rage that painted a red film over her eyes, to the destruction she wanted to wreck upon all those around, to the betrayal that had poisoned her heart. Before it even broke through into the room they were in, Marinette knew this thing was there for her and her struggling efforts tripled until she managed to get one hand free. She ignored the dislocated thumb and possibly broken finger. 

Finally the thing broke into the room and washed it in a brilliant red light, a red light that seemed to only shine on and around Marinette. It was a ring. A simple red ring but it sizzled with power, Marinette could practically smell the burning metal, though it could have just been the blood that had dried under her nose. She was transfixed, this ring was meant for her, she knew it, so she reached out her hand towards it, not minding the pleading scream she could vaguely hear and recognize as Tikki’s voice. The ring slid on her finger perfectly, snugly, and that’s when the pain and her own screaming started. Her heart hurt more than she could explain before the pain was just suddenly gone and all she felt, all she could feel was rage. Pure rage and nothing else. She couldn’t even dwell on that because as the pain from her heart faded, the pain in her veins began. It was a hot burning pain that felt never-ending. 

Everything burned. Her eyes burned. Her throat is burned. Her skin burned. Her very blood, BURNED . Nausea came as quickly to her as her rage had. It built and built and built till she couldn’t hold it anymore and vomited. It was anything but normal. It was violent and messy and RED and she couldn’t stop. It was like something from a horror movie, the amount was as worrisome as the color and once it finally stopped Marinette recognized the contents of the vomit. It wasn’t vomit at all, it was blood. Her blood. Honestly, what looked like all of it, maybe if she had been in her right mind she would have questioned that, she would have freaked out about that, but the fact of the matter was Marinette wasn’t in her right mind. Or more like, she wasn’t in her same mind, she felt different and was but it wasn’t something she consciously recognized. The pain was gone and in its place was power, power like she had never felt before but she knew it wasn’t at its strongest due to her not being at her strongest. She needed to heal, she needed to get better, she needed to go home. 

Without much thought at all, Marinette pushed off the ground. There were no thoughts spared for how she got out of her binds, none for how she had this newfound ability to fly, none to the destruction her transformation left in its wake. The only thought on her mind was following the tugging from the ring, the call of home, 

Wherever that was.

Chapter Text

Luka couldn’t explain the way his heart had been beating in his chest ever since Ladybug left the team in order for their plan to start. It was like listening to a drummer in a rock band having a solo at a concert next to the speakers. Loud. Overwhelming. All-consuming. All those things, but on a day where all your senses felt overwhelmed and too big for your body. Again, it was hard to explain and maybe that’s why he didn’t mention it to Donryu, or anyone else on the team. He knew they would never look down on him if his words made no sense or if he had a hard time using his words, but this was such an important moment for them all so he bit his tongue. Maybe if he hadn’t he wouldn’t have been too late. As it were, they had been in their own locations surrounding the Agreste Mansion, Luka, i.e Viperion was stationed closest in case he was called on by Ladybug and in need of Second Chance. The second closest to the target was Bee-Witch who they all knew was having a hard time keeping her emotions calm. They all understood of course, to think a man you saw as an Uncle had been using you and your emotions more than most in Paris, was not something easily accepted. 

Honestly it had been a shock and yet at the same time perfectly reasonable when Ladybug, Donryu and Noc-Turtle had announced to the group their belief that Hawkmoth and Mayura were none other than Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur. A shock because you never want to believe that a parent of one of your friends could possibly be the madman terrorizing Paris, and yet a reasonably sound idea when you thought about it. And the more you thought about it, the more sound it was. He was a notorious hermit, that meant he had the time to pull off causing akumas. He had a motive, a missing wife that went missing months before the attacks started happening. He was rich, which meant he had the funds. He had a plausible partner in one Mlle Sancoer, someone who did everything for him and would arguably do anything for him. It didn’t take a genius nor a psychic to notice just how in love Mlle Sancoeur was with M Agreste and with what the team had seen from Mayura, how devoted she was, it was the most believable theory. 

So they planned. Ladybug and Chat Noir would take the plunge and hope to catch Agreste off guard by breaking into his secret lair to confront the man. Luka would be positioned on a building facing the back of the Agreste Mansion, where the lair was highly suspected to be while Bee-Witch was on a neighboring roof near the front in case someone tried to run, her Venom already poised and ready to strike. Donryu was further down the road on a roof with Noc-Turtle in case an akuma or senti-monster was let out, or even both. The two were going to hold them off or distract them for as long as the main battle went on. Fox-Tail was positioned near the back of the mansion, ready to lend a Mirage if it was needed. He already had plans on what illusions would work best on M Agreste and Mlle Sancoeur.  They were ready. They were prepared. Everything should have flowed as smooth as a symphony, but one missed note had made Luka feel off-center and on edge. Chat’s expression when the team had briefed him on the plan and overall who they thought was Hawkmoth had worried Luka.

 It was a blink and you miss it, but Luka hadn’t missed it, he hadn’t missed the anger nor the fear. The shock the hero used to mask it was believable enough but something about it all left a bad taste in Luka’s mouth. 

The more time that passed, the louder Luka’s heart seemed to beat and the drier his mouth became, he longed to do something, anything, but the fear of ruining the plan made him freeze in his place. He wished he wasn’t transformed, that way he could fidget with his rings like he tended to do when he was anxious, but he had to be at the ready. They all did. That didn’t make waiting any easier and Luka was usually a patient guy. “It’s quiet.” He murmured.

“Indeed.” Donryu’s voice made him jump, he forgot they had their comms on, everyone beside Ladybug and Chat Noir that is. They would turn their’s on, only if they were in danger or needed backup. 

“Do you think something’s…wrong?” Noc-Turtle asked softly. His voice was laced with worry. 

“Our plan is solid. Ladybug always plans for the unexpected.” Bee-Witch pitched in confidently, but Luka could hear the slight hesitation in her voice. He didn't know if it was due to finding out who was likely Hawkmoth and basically admitting her identity with her reaction to news or if it was just nerves because of how big this fight was and all that depended on it going well. Either was a valid excuse. Luka could admit, he too, was nervous. More so for Ladybug and Chat Noir than himself and the others but the way the nerves pulled at his stomach were anything but pleasant and were more than a little distracting. He tried not to linger on the 'what could go wrongs' and did his best to think how they would be coming forward from this, but even he had to admit defeat eventually as it had not been working. 

Luka licked his lips as his thoughts flooded with various way things could go wrong. They brought a cacophony of sour notes with him that made him wince to himself. "Maybe…"

"You have a thought Viperion?" Donryu asked, though her questions almost always came across as statements, so did this one. 

"It's been a long time," Luka began, "we haven't reached the time limit yet but…Maybe we should enter the mansion and check on Ladybug and Chat Noir. If something is wrong I'll use Second Chance, if not then we return to our positions unless it looks like they need our help."

"A solid plan." Donryu commented. "Though perhaps we should not all go. It would do no good to completely abandon Ladybug's plan."

"So what? We split up even more?" Bee-Witch huffed. 

"Yes." Donryu confirmed. 

"It makes sense." Luka agreed. "Okay, Donryu, you and I will go check on them while Bee-Witch, Noc-Turtle and Fox-Tail stay in position."

Before Bee-Witch could even protest, Donryu was fast with placating the girl. "It's the most logical split. If an akuma or sentimonster is formed to fight Foxtail can distract them with their illusions and if Hawkmoth or Mayura try to run, Bee-Witch, you will be ready to sting them." 

It was logical. Maybe that was why they got nothing more than an irritated sigh in response from Bee-Witch. Luka had honestly just suggested Donryu because he trusted her to keep her cool no matter what they came across. Well, no matter. He jumped from his spot and landed in the backyard of the Agreste Mansion, it had never seemed more foreboding. There was just this eerie air that squeezed at his lungs and made his heart pound like before. It was not a new feeling whatsoever but it was one that Luka rarely felt as he was not one to panic easily. With one more swallow of his built up saliva - why was his mouth somehow dry yet watering at the same time ? - Luka made his way to the front of the mansion so he could meet Donryu. He made sure to stay on the opposite side of the road as to not be caught on the front cameras of the mansion. The security should have also been a clue, though , Luka thought, it did just help the rich recluse vibe that Gabriel Agreste had been selling. 

Footsteps to his left signaled Donryu's arrival. Now that she was here, Luka's heart felt like a jackhammer or that of a hummingbird. "Ready?" He asked even though he was decidedly not. 

Donryu gave him a firm single nod and it was all the answer he needed before they both turned towards the mansion and what happened next seemed to happen in slow-motion. Luka hadn't even set his foot down in a step before the ground shook and a brilliant red light blinded him and Donryu. Right when it reached it's brightest moment all Hell broke loose. The mansion exploded and the force of it sent Luka and Donryu flying into the nearest building. The pain was instantaneous. The taste of copper danced on his tongue and the smell of smoke nearly drowned him if the pain wasn't doing a good job of that already. His ears rung and when he tried to open his eyes his vision was slightly blurry. Luka hated to think what his fate would have been if it weren't for his magical suit. 

The ringing and accompanied dizziness started to drift away slowly but when it did he could hear the frantic voices of Foxtail and Bee-Witch. He wanted to tell them he was fine, that he and Donryu were fine but as soon as the thought came to him he immediately looked for his teammate who had been blasted back by the explosion. His eyes were unfocused, blurry, and his ears were still ringing but he had to find Donryu. They were too close to the explosion, who knows what happened, sure they had magical suits that could protect them but they could still feel pain no matter how diluted.

"Don….ryu…." He called out as best he could, he had no idea if it was loud or not. 

He stumbled. There was rubble everywhere, smoke stained the sky and everything was overwhelming. But he pushed on, he had to find his teammate, Ladybug asked him to make sure everyone was okay. He had to make sure everyone was okay, that they were safe. So he ignored everything around him, he ignored the pain, the ringing in his ears and he steadfastly ignored the blurriness of his vision, it was clearing up anyways, no need to sit and wait for it to do so. Luka called out as much as he was able to, his panic rising each time his call went unanswered, but finally he heard a weak response. 

"Vip…Viperion…..over here…" It was Donryu and she was walking towards him. It looked like they both had the same idea. Once they reached each other they just stood there with Luka's hands on her shoulders and her hands on his elbows. They took the time to look each other over and just breathe.

"Are you okay?" It felt like a stupid question to ask seeing as he felt like his entire body was bruised so surely she felt the same but still, he had to know. 

"About as okay as you I imagine." Came her wry reply. 

“You feeling up to a search?” 

Donryu nodded firmly, “Yes. We need to find Ladybug and find out what went wrong. Have you heard from the others? Are they injured?”

Luka licked his lips as he looked over all the debris around them and over to the surrounding buildings that were affected by the explosion. “Looking at the damage…I think they were far away enough not to get blasted like us but probably did get slightly hit by something. We should make sure before we do anything else. We need someone to look for…for survivors and any one injured.” 

Donryu’s lips became a thin line at the word ‘survivors’ but they both knew it was true. The violence of the explosion wouldn’t have been merciful enough not to hurt any passersby and unlike the heroes, those people didn’t have magically enhanced suits. He prayed that no one had been hurt, he had never been one to be an optimist but meeting and being around Marinette had made him want to see the good in people, the good in bad situations like she did, but this was a situation where his prayers seemed silly and redundant. He was also someone who rarely, if ever, prayed, so he hoped it counted for something. He prayed to every higher being he could think of as his head swiveled this way and that as he took in all the damage. 

Luka took in a deep breath before he took out his communicator, “Bee, Fox, you guys okay?”

“Are we okay!? You idiot! We weren’t the ones so ridiculously close to that stupid house!” Bee-Witch’s voice cut in right away, loud and shrill as always but so full of worry that Luka felt bad for the wince he made at the sound of her voice. Donryu looked like she felt the same if the scrunching of her nose and the guilty look that followed were anything to go by. 

“I’m okay, a little shaken and maybe mild bruising from a fall but Bee is right, are you guys okay?” Noc-Turtle asked. 

“That’s not what I meant!” Bee grumbled but they all knew that’s exactly what she meant.

“I got blasted back a bit but I managed not to be hit by debris or anything.” Fox-Tail groaned. 

“So overall we could be better but we’re not bad.” Donryu concluded. “Plan is somewhat the same. Viperion and I shall go and look in the…what is left of The Agreste Mansion, Bee, Fox, Noc, you three check for anyone injured and ....”

“Survivors. That was a bad explosion. I know it’s not something we want to hear nor consider but it’s best we all brace ourselves now.” Luka said. He hoped his voice came out stronger and more sure than he felt. 

Nods were given in response and they all went their assigned ways. Luka’s heart was performing it’s very own drum solo, it was roaring in his ears and it muffled all other sounds, including their footsteps. He kept biting at his lips, a habit of his when things were getting to be too much, it was better than him picking at his cuticles which was also a habit of his. Thankfully he had a magical suit that came with gloves so that was something he couldn’t do, thus he resorted to biting the skin of his lips. It felt like he was simultaneously moving through molasses and yet somehow walking faster that he normally could in the suit. It was like how five minutes in class seemed to go so slow yet five minutes out with friends went by so fast, but both happening at the same time. No words were said between Donryu and him, it was a blessing as he felt like he had run out of his daily quota of words already. At the same time though, he could have used a distraction. Eventually though the two reached what seemed to be the inside of Gabriel’s study but shockingly the floor was caved in. 

The more Luka looked around, the more he noticed that it wasn’t just the study. Parts of the flooring were completely caved in, like there was room for it to fall, a lot of room by the looks of it. They weren’t aware of a basement, Ladybug had somehow gotten the house’s floor plans and they had all studied it thoroughly, so the sight of just how deep the floors had caved in was staggering. “Do you think…?” Donryu didn’t finish her question but Luka guessed it all the same. 

“It’s possible. They were supposed to be in the top room though, the one with the glass dome looking design. It used to be a garden.” Luka mechanically replied. 

“Getting hit by the explosion from there would have…” 

“It…” Luka didn’t want to think about it. “It depends where, the uh…the explosion originated. They could be down there or….” 

“Further away.” Donryu concluded for him. He just gave a weak nod.

It felt like years went by as they climbed up and down the debris to look for their teammates, Hawkmoth and Mayura. It felt like years left him when he and Donryu realized they hadn’t checked the caved in flooring yet and that’s where they made their way to. Down they went and the more it seemed to go on and on and on. It was shocking to think the mansion hid this large amount of underground rooming. It felt like something out of a movie, whether it be horror or superhero, both fit in Luka’s opinion. It felt wrong to talk or even breathe too loudly so the silence was expected yet suffocating. It felt like the moment in a horror film where the music was swelling with the tell-tale sign of a jump-scare or when the superhero finds or sees something they didn’t want to but it happened anyway. Something settled in his heart then, whatever they were going to see was something horrid and something he never wanted to. It was a sad conclusion to come to, but when all the signs are pointing that way there really was no other way to conclude what was going to happen even if he wasn’t sure of the specifics. 

They had to grapple down because that is how far the ground actually was in this underground room that surprisingly had foliage in it, but it was when they had their feet firmly planted that Luka saw the thing he never wanted to. His vision seemed to skip over the coffin with a blonde woman in it, it skipped right over the three bodies on the floor that looked…well to put it lightly, it looked like they had been hit by a car or two and then some. No those sights didn’t catch his attention, though maybe they should have, no, it was the lone pair of pink flats with black bows on them. A very familiar pair of pink flats that he had seen many times, especially when their owner visited his family’s houseboat. No.

No. 

No, please.

Please not her. 

Not. Her .

Luka didn’t blink, he didn’t think, he screamed and his hand immediately went to his wrist. He pushed the snake head on his bracelet back harshly as he continued screaming and all he wished, all he could think of was going back and saving her. Going back and preventing whatever happened. He knew that too much time had passed but he didn’t care, he would push his Miraculous to its limits if he had to. He would push himself to his limits if it meant she was safe. It worked but it left him disoriented, it took a couple seconds for his eyes to adjust but even then he staggered as he got up on his feet, he could taste the metallic tang of blood. All of it was ignored as his head was full of thoughts all centered around her and the explosion. He ran as fast as he could, he didn’t even warn his team, he just ran. As he ran he heard a high pitched whistle and something in him told him it was the cause of the explosion. His lungs hurt as though he hadn’t taken a breath in ages but it didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered but her so he looked around for the source of the whistle and saw something red plummeting towards the mansion. 

He cried when he realized he wouldn’t reach the mansion before the object, whatever it was, would hit. He never hated being right so much, though he was closer to the explosion this time so he had to act fast and reset time before he ended up a stain on the street or something. Luka failed again, though he did try and warn his team the second go around. They had all been too confused by his yelling to really do anything. They all watched the mansion explode. The third go around went the same way but this time Luka got a closer look at the red thing hurling towards the mansion, it was small, deceptively so. Fourth round he managed to record the object, when he zoomed in on it he saw that it was a ring. How could a ring bring such destruction ? Many resets passed and all of them failed. Luka was exhausted but he had to keep trying, he needed to, but he had lost count of how many times he reset and moving felt like his blood had been replaced by molasses. He could feel it in his bones that this would be the last reset, his body couldn’t handle anymore and yet he cursed himself for not being stronger, for being too weak to continue. 

This reset started eerily the same as the original timeline had, though this time he put more urgency in his demands that the team stick to the plan, he hoped they started early enough but the familiar whistle was getting closer and Luka just knew it wasn’t enough. They wouldn’t be successful and that tore Luka apart, even if he knew they didn’t have a chance to save her , he still tried to push his body to be faster. It was all for naught, the ring made violent contact with the mansion once more and triggered the explosion. He was closer to the explosion this time, along with Donryu and they were thrown farther than they had been the first time and the pain was so much worse but it didn’t matter. He had to get to her , or what remained but he hated himself for thinking that. Instead of thinking, Luka just ran. 

Kagami was running on adrenaline after being blasted back by the force of what seemed to be an explosion. She had turned to ask Viperion what that was, as she had a feeling he knew by the urgency he had had while getting the team to act. Whatever happened that had him acting like that could never be good so the team just followed his commands no questions asked. The questions seemed more than justified now and all she wanted was answers, but as she searched for her teammate she saw him running towards the remains of the mansion. Her heart stopped beating for a moment when it dawned on her that Ladybug had been in that house, so had Chat Noir, so she followed after Viperion as best she could. Despite them both being blasted into buildings Viperion was moving like it hadn't happened which worried Kagami even more than she already was. He moved like he had one thing on his mind and Kagami was reluctant to find out what it was, because whatever it was, wasn’t good and she knew it. 

She tried not to think of how she had followed him down in the mansion of her former crush, how it just kept going down , she may not be thinking about it but it did alarm her for the few seconds she let herself realize where they were going. She tried to ignore the feeling of doom that twisted in her gut, but the more they went down and seemed to still keep going, the more the feeling of doom overcame her. After what felt like a lifetime, they slowed down and Kagami felt a small bit of relief before it was completely squashed by the scream Viperion let out and the way he fell to his knees. It was awful, like something described in books and the one her own mother let out when her father had died. It was a scream born and full of grief. She wasn’t the best “people” person but her teammate was in pain and she wanted to help however she could but when she got closer she saw him cradling something familiar. Scarily familiar. She didn’t even register herself falling to her knees at the sight. Her eyes were too busy staring at the pink purse lying innocently in Viperion's hands. 

It was Marinette’s. 

Why was it there? 

Where was Marinette?

Questions zoomed around her head so fast it left her feeling dizzy. Then she spotted a pair of familiar shoes next to what had to be blood, charred blood. After that, there was no holding back a scream just as pain-filled as Viperion’s. She didn’t even notice her other teammates approaching the two of them. All she could do was scream as tears fell from her eyes, her eyes that were locked on the pink flats speckled with blood.

Chapter Text

Nadja barely had time to buckle her seat belt before the station van took off, if they had been in a cartoon, Nadja was sure they would have left a cloud of smoke in the shape of the van. Usually she would be annoyed at the driver, Adam, for his horrid driving and lack of consideration for her and her cameraman, Laurent, but at the moment it was a passing thought. They had the potential to get a big story before everyone else. One of their informants had notified the station of a big explosion, the location being the Agreste Mansion. The informant also told them that the local heroes were also there so there was a good chance this was the work of an akuma or sentimonster. Something in Nadja’s gut though felt like that was wrong, or not wrong but not the complete truth. Nadja was never a superstitious person but if her gut was telling her something, she was going to listen. It never steered her wrong, the only times things went wrong were when she ignored her gut, like that disastrous interview with Ladybug and Chat Noir. 

Her gut had told her it was not a good idea to listen to her producers and director but in her fear to please them she ignored her gut. She had always been a people pleaser growing up so it should have been no surprise that she folded to their demands but Nadja still felt like the worst person in the world when she saw how Ladybug reacted to all her questions. Then, of course, Nadja broke under all the pressure and got akumatized, she had never been more ashamed. Especially when she got home and Manon told her Prime Time had been scary, she swore to never let it happen again. Manon was still dealing with her time as an akuma, more so since Hawkmoth used her once more. Nadja had to take her daughter out of the city just to get some therapy, though she didn’t have time to get her own therapist, Nadja would take that time to just have a good cry and curse the man who gave her daughter horrid nightmares. 

Akumas were the number one cause of damage nowadays and boy could they cause some damage, but this…this was worse. This was something more and somehow Nadja just knew this was going to change Paris as a whole. She just hoped it would be for the better, they needed better, they deserved better after the long tirade of Hawkmoth. She fully believed in the heroes that protected Paris but it was hard to live in the shadow that was Hawkmoth and she could tell it had been wearing on the heroes after each battle with an akuma or sentimonster. Ladybug had stopped doing interviews after her battles and just gave a promise to the people of Paris that she would do everything in her power to protect them. Perhaps it had been the tone of her voice, or the look in her eyes or the way she held herself but after that day many news stations stopped badgering for interviews. Some of course still bothered the heroine but for the most part it was like they all saw how serious Ladybug had grown. Oh, she had always been serious but there was just something different that time. 

Nadja had put her foot down after that, she refused to stalk the hero and it had almost been at the cost of her job but something miraculous had happened, her producers and director listened to her. She, of course, still covered the akum and sentimonster battles but instead of trying to question the heroes she instead interviewed the victims and those who were affected by the chaos. It turned out to be a great idea of hers and their station got more popular since others seemed to only try and interview the heroes about what happened. Sometimes they’d interview the victim but never as gently nor as in depth as Nadja did. It painted Bemused News in a new positive light and they got more traffic on their site. Nadja had even been given a raise for all her work. It was wonderful, it was great, but most of all, it was all because of Ladybug and Marinette. 

Thinking of her goddaughter always brought a soft smile to Nadja’s face. Marinette had always been a kind kid and as she grew, so did her kindness. It was a wonderful thing to witness, Marinette was very special and Nadja thanked God that she was able to have the girl in her life, especially when Manon came along. Nadja still made mistakes as a single mom but Marinette helped her so much, she offered to watch Manon whenever she could and even when Nadja brought her at the last minute. It wasn’t fair to Marinette but the teen always took it in stride and Nadja made sure to pay her extra.  Manon adored her god-sister and always ranted for hours after she spent the day with Marinette about everything they did and just how cool Marinette was. Manon loved the teen so much, it was clear to see, that’s why Nadja hadn’t found another sitter. Well, actually, that was a lie. She had tried to find another sitter to take some of the responsibility off of Marinette but none of them meshed well with Manon. Or Manon didn’t like them.

One quit before their shift was up and cited that her daughter was too difficult, okay that was not their original wording but if Nadja thought of what they had originally said she would feel compelled to find them and fight them. One was nice enough to quit after the first day with Manon, they just said they had thought they could handle being a babysitter since their mom thought they’d be good at it, but after watching Manon they didn’t think it was the job for them. One had been a lady who was a ‘professional’ nanny and it had seemed to go well until Manon had come home with a bruise on her backside. Apparently the nanny had been forced to punish Manon with a ‘good’ spanking after her daughter had acted out. Needless to say, Nadja stopped employing the woman and may or may not have found out the other customers the woman had and told them what she had done. It was one thing to put the child in timeout or take away treats, but she thought it was absolutely not necessary for a nanny to put their hands on the children in their care. 

It was a lot, it still was a lot if Marinette wasn’t available but she would never fault the teen for…well, being a teen. The girl always had so much going on, what with being Class President, an upcoming designer, a helper at her parent’s shop and much and much more. The girl was like a professional multi-tasker if she focused, but she tended to have trouble with keeping time and being on time. It was part of her charm though. Though they were still working on the girl not falling for Manon’s puppy eyes, they were good but Nadja had built up a resistance to it. Marinette….not so much, it was funny but the teen swore she would get better and Nadja had nothing but faith in her. Thinking of the teen reminded her she wanted to commission her to make a birthday gift for Manon. The little one had been in a Barbie hyperfixation lately, but especially Island Princess and she had been wanting the fancy dress. She had begged her mom for one and Nadja said she might get it for her birthday, she tried to look for one but none were what she knew her daughter wanted so she had the idea to ask Marinette. Anything the teen made was fantastic and good quality. 

Her thoughts were interrupted when the van screeched to a halt and Nadja felt the seatbelt dig into her body uncomfortably. She heard Laurent’s breath forced out of them and Nadja had been ready to yell at Adam until the doors to the van opened by none other than Adam, how he got out and to the door so fast Nadja would never know, the sight that greeted them was like nothing she had ever seen. A thin layer of dust was swirling and coating the air, rubble was everywhere and there was this… suppressive air that clung to everything it seemed. It was quiet. No one said a word nor breathed too loudly, this was more destruction than they were used to, than they ever hoped to see. The Agreste Mansion was no more, it looked like an abandoned sand castle on a beach that was left behind when the builder went home and the waves and other things destroyed the sand structure. It was surreal. Laurent was already filming but no words were said as they all took in the damage, Nadja sincerely hoped that no one had been in the mansion when the explosion happened but the dread she felt in her heart was not very convincing. 

Everyone in Paris and maybe the whole world knew how much of a hermit Gabriel Agreste was, the times he actually left his home were rare and Adrien, everyone knew how packed his schedule was but they also knew he actually wasn’t away from his home a lot even with how busy he was. Nathalie, Nadja had only met her briefly, but where M Agreste was, there she was. Plus it was night, which didn’t exactly paint a hopeful picture, but Nadja still hoped, she still prayed that no one had been home. The silence started to feel oppressive and Nadja knew she had to start reporting so she took in a deep breath and turned towards Laurent who nodded at her signal. She opened her mouth to give her usual opening but closed it just as fast. It felt wrong to use the word ‘bemused’ in this context and this wasn’t a plan segment. 

“This is Nadja Chamack. I am standing before the Agreste Mansion that, as you can see, has suffered great damage.” Nadja began a little stiltedly. She felt wrong-footed but knew she had to push on. “A source called the station to inform us of the…’explosion.’  No words can explain just how… haunting the scene is, how terrifying. There is no known sign pointing to the origin of said explosion but according to the eye witness, it wasn’t an akuma. They claim that the explosion came from the house itself.” 

It felt wrong to speak so clinically but that was the job and if she even, for one moment, thought about the possibility that they would find a body or more as they filmed she would break down and possibly throw up. The dark, morbid thoughts made her stomach twist. “What happened to the famous Agreste Mansion if it was not the work of an akuma? Was it an accident? Perhaps a gas leak that wasn’t noticed until it was too late. Or was this a direct attack of the remaining Agreste’s?”

Nadja really hoped not. She knew Marinette and the boy, Adrien, were friends and she just knew if it was a direct attack or not, the girl would be very upset. She was fiercely protective of her friends and family. “Could it have been an upset competitor? Or maybe even an obsessed fan? We have yet to know but hopefully we’ll get more answers as we look around-”

The reporter was cut off when they heard a young voice squeal. They all looked up and saw as Noc-Turtle carried a child away from the scene. That’s when Nadja finally noticed that the scene had been a bit too quiet. People were nosy, especially Parisians who hoped to catch glimpses of the town’s heroes. But the scene they came upon had no observers which should have clearly been a sign that the heroes had gotten there first and did what they did best, protect. There were always some heroes who helped evacuate the masses when an akuma or sentimonster were on a rampage. That was one of the reasons that the media took a step back from hounding the heroes with personal questions and such. It was easy to see how seriously they took each attack and it made you feel shameful if you jeopardized the safety of yourself and others just to get a scoop or a half-answer. “It would appear that we are not the first to arrive at the scene but that is to be expected of Team Miraculous.” 

“If the heroes got here so fast, it begs the question, where are the police?” All the media lately had been questioning the police, not so much the BSPP as they still did their jobs and did it well, but it seemed like the police were doing the bare minimum. Usually they pulled up to a scene later than most even if the problem wasn’t an akuma. Officer Raincomprix was the only one who seemed genuinely mad about not being to a scene faster, the man looked more and more stressed the longer it went on, but never resigned. It smelt of corruption, whether it be rookies or higher-ups and not for the first time, nor the last, did Nadja believe they were being bribed by Hawkmoth. As per the usual, the BSPP arrived to help manage the small fires that surrounded the destroyed mansion and the debris.  She assumed they had already been called by eye-witnesses and therefore knew as much as she did. She just hoped they questioned her and her crew after they were done filming. 

Another look around made Nadja aware of not just Noc-Turtle but also Bee-Witch and Fox-Tail clearing out civilians, they did so so swiftly it was like second nature for them. The thought hurt, that these heroes were so used to trying to keep everyone safe no matter the situation. It didn’t matter if the akuma was M Pidgeon levels of harm or worse…like Syren. Not many spoke of that akuma and that’s because not many had worked through the trauma it brought. No news reported on it because most news reporters were stuck somewhere high up, the water took out their power lines, thus their internet and the fact many people had died that day, news employees as well. No one wanted to talk about dying and being revived by the magical power of the ladybugs that washed over Paris, it became known as the Miraculous Cure. One of Nadja’s coworkers had been one of those many who had fallen victim to the water, the poor man was still afraid to go near any water. When they had a segment near the Seine who refused to go anywhere near it. No one could argue with him, not that they wanted to but still. It was hard to argue in the face of the outright terror the man had. 

Looking at all the destruction though, Nadja just hoped that the Miraculous Cure came swiftly. There was no way that the people in the surrounding buildings or just in the area had not been hurt at the least. No the least would be leaving the area with no wounds or bruises, the most would be death and that was never an easy thing to swallow when in the face of such destruction. Nadja looked over everything once again and noted that Laurant was as well, though with the camera. It was definitely something to see, especially for those who knew how protected the mansion seemed to be. They had all seen pieces of the system when Jackady had taken over the TVi Station when they were filming The Challenge . It was as impressive as it was insane, the shutters on the windows, the amount of cameras, it was another thing many did not speak about publicly, but behind closed doors it was major gossip. The recluse Gabriel Agreste fashioned his house with military levels of security? It was odd. More than even. Of course there were some who argued for the man, he was famous, plus his wife was missing and it felt awful to call him crazy if he simply did it to protect his son and himself. But that was the thing, what if all that security was for something more?

Sabine and Nadja were no better than most when it came to gossip and it was one of the things they often spoke of. Nadja was always the one to bring up the outlandish theories, drug ring, trafficking, maybe even the corpse of Emilie Agreste hidden somewhere but Sabine was the one who argued for the man, well not really him but for Adrien. Sabine thought all the security was for Adrien’s safety even if it was over-the-top and worrisome. Sabine wanted to see the good while Nadja saw the odd, she saw the potential story. Looking at how far down the house went, Nadja would bet her entire salary that Gabriel Agreste had skeletons in his closet. She wasn’t the only one to notice how odd it was that the house went further down, way past a basement level. The BSPP members were all looking down too and were shouting if anyone was down there but Nadja could see the apprehension and confusion at the large hole in the mansion. Thankfully she wasn’t the only one weirded out by it. 

“ Nadja .” Laurant whispered harshly which pulled Nadja’s attention back to the camera. 

She quickly schooled her face into her ‘reporter’ face as Manon called it. “As you can see, myself and the BSPP have been caught off guard by a massive…er, hole in the Agreste Mansion. It suggests that the mansion itself had more levels than the public knew. Could this be why it is in such a state now? Was this an attack on Gabriel Agreste for whatever was going on in the house? Hopefully we’ll have answers soon.”

The sound of things moving within the hole had everyone near it step back in alarm but the BSPP acted fast after that and threw down some rope into the hole and yelled for whoever was in there that they would get them out and if they couldn’t move to tie the rope to themselves and tug. It was silent for a couple of seconds and everyone was straining their ears to hear anything. Then a tug of the rope and a pull later and out came Viperion and Donryu, but they weren’t alone, no, they had carried up three bodies with them. Three extremely broken bodies, it took all of Nadja’s willpower not to puke or cry at the sight. Donryu softly told them all that the three, Gabriel Agreste, Adrien Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur were alive but very injured. The BSPP grabbed the three from the heroes in order to help and find out exactly just how injured all parties were. Nadja was going to continue talking about the new development but something stopped her. Well, more someone, it was Viperion.

The hero was normally one of the softer spoken members so it wasn’t out of the norm not to hear him speak but something about how quiet he was now rubbed Nadja the wrong way. It made her maternal instincts rear up. She was even going to go up to the boy and ask what was wrong but stopped short when she saw what he was cradling in his arms. She didn’t even realize her breath was coming out shorter and faster nor the fact she had pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed the number she needed. It was like she was on autopilot. She hadn't even noticed that she had started crying, but it was obvious she was when the person finally answered the phone and Nadja tearfully said,” Sabine?”

“Nadja?” Sabine’s voice was clearly drowsy, like she had just woken up, which considering the time she most likely did just wake up. “Nadja, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Is it Manon?”

Nadja’s heart broke further. “Sabine…Sabine I need you to tell me where Marinette is.”

“Marinette? Nadja, what?” It sounded like Sabine was still half-asleep.

“Sabine, please , is Marinette at home?”

“Of course she is! Nadja what is this about?” She was more awake now it seemed.

“Can you…Can you check?”

There was some shuffling and grumbling from the other side of the phone but it was muffled as Nadja could only hear the pounding of her heart. “I swear if this child snuck out again..” 

Nadja tried not to sob when she heard Sabine mutter that sentence. She hoped, she hoped that what she saw was an illusion or just a coincidence or something other than the supposed truth. The shuffling on the other end turned to creaking and Nadja could see it in her mind how Sabine opened the trapdoor up to Marinette’s room. She could hear her friend calling out for her daughter and with each call of the name the panic in Sabine’s voice rose. “Nadja! Nadja, she left…Marinette left a note. Why would she leave a note?”

Her friend was in a deep panic but as much as Nadja wanted to reassure her it just confirmed the worst for her, because there, in Viperion’s arms was Marinette’s signature flats, the first shoes she ever made and had ranted about to Nadja before she started her college days. They had even had a celebration picnic after the girl’s successful craftsmanship. She had been so proud of herself and Manon had begged the girl to make her some shoes too and Marinette had laughed fondly and promised Manon she would. And she did, Manon had a matching pair of flats in her closet that she wore with her princess dresses or her ‘fancy’ dresses if they had to go to an event or something important. Those flats and her small little shoulder bag were in Viperion's arms and even from her distance she could spot the dried blood on the items. It covered some of her signature polka-dots and that finally made Nadja release the sob she had tried to hold in. Sabine was yelling on the other line and all Nadja could choke out as she fell to her knees was, “Something happened. Something bad.”

Chapter Text

Static. 

All he could hear was static. 

There were no melodies, there were no solos, there were no symphonies. All it was was disheartening static and Luka didn’t know what to do. His life three days ago had been so loud and comforting but now it was silent, muddled and so dark. He felt listless and refused to get out of bed. It was a good thing that he and Juleka got their own rooms finally, it had taken a lot of convincing for his mom to let them clean out one of the storage rooms and turn it into his new bedroom. It had actually been Marinette who had convinced his stubborn mom and it had made Marinette all the more wonderful. She was always incredible, but seeing her out stubborn the most stubborn person in Luka’s life had only made him love and value her more. A fresh wave of tears washed over the forlorn teen at the thought of his crush and friend. His heart twinged with a twisted pain he was slowly getting used to. Pain. He was in so much pain. He wanted it gone. He wanted her back. But like every time before, his pleas and wishes were ignored and just led to more heartbreak. 

His appetite was all but gone and he barely ate what his mom made or bought him, he still drank though and maybe that was why she wasn’t pushing. He hadn’t showered in three days but with the way he was feeling he knew it would be longer. It was hard to get out of bed even if it was to use the restroom, taking a shower just felt like too much work. He would see the shower and a barrage of thoughts would crash into him, reminding him all he would have to do to feel clean again and it was like he was tranquilized or something because he would just feel this bone-deep tiredness that wouldn’t go away no matter what he did so it would just lead to him laying in his bed and starting the twisted routine all over again. It was like he was in one of those groundhog day movies or like his own power Second Chance, was glitching and not letting him out of the situation.

Luka’s emotions felt too big for his body, his skin itched with his frustration and the days passed without a shower, his teeth ached in his longing, his muscles screamed in his sadness, his heart clenched in its breaking and his lungs drowned in his guilt. As much as he craved to do something, anything he also couldn’t help the thoughts of ‘why?’ Why do anything at all when his world had crashed and burned around him? Why plead for things to be different when his prayers fell on deaf ears? Why get up when nothing he did would bring back Marinette? It was a lot and there was never a break form the never-ending torture. Not even his dreams were safe. Dreaming of Marinette led to more heartache even if the dream was normal to past ones he had had that had previously brought him endless joy. The nightmares were the worst but he would take them over the bittersweet ones that just made his longing deeper and his hope stronger. But reality would hit him once his eyes opened and he would cry for many minutes, maybe even hours. Time didn’t register to him really. 

The only reason he knew how long it had been since he had showered was because of his mom and Juleka. He knew they were trying to help but he had been angrier than he honestly expected after Paris learned of Team Miraculous’ Finale Fight, he hated it but that was what everyone had now dubbed it. It hadn’t been a fight, at least not from his and the rest of the team’s point of view. No one knew what exactly happened in the underground chamber since the only ones who could tell them were two comatose Kwamis and three villains who would probably twist the events. It was hard to come to the realization that Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste, even for Luka who had the unique skill of ‘reading someone’s heart.’ That’s what others referred to it as but according to his long talks with Sass, Luka seemed to be someone who could read a person’s aura which mixed with his Synesthesia. He had Chromesthesia, specifically, but his was more along the lines of seeing color and the color had a sound. He saw colors in a lot of things but it was constantly people, their auras and tones of voice would bring color and the color would bring the music. 

It did get overwhelming sometimes and it had been a big factor in him doing his schooling online for a while which turned into permanently. He just enjoyed it more than when he did go to school and his former teachers told him they saw remarkable improvement in his grades. He still met up with his friends, they still hung out and had study sessions, so he was still a social teen but he didn’t have to worry about migraines or coming across weird to other people who weren’t his friends. His former bandmates in Kitty Section had also been really understanding and never treated him differently and helped him when some days were just too much. But they changed, their music’s changed and it had been jarring, when he eventually left the band he knew it had been inevitable. There was no doubt in Luka’s mind that if he hadn’t quit he would have been ‘politely’ fired and he had strong feelings about that. The one constant had been Marinette, when the others changed she didn’t. She remained strong and melodious. 

Even if she was going through something her melody was still recognizable. He was still coming to terms with the fact he would never hear her song any time soon or ever. She had been there when he left the band, she had been there when he begun fighting with Juleka more than normal and she had been there when he decided to get to know his dad more. She had been such a strong light guiding him through some of the roughest seas he had ever experienced. Kagami had also been a constant presence before everything happened. She was a calming presence and often kept him and Marinette from getting lost in their projects. Both he and Marinette tended to get distracted easily and they both fed off each other’s energy and Kagami would be the one to keep them grounded and focused. Kagami’s music was a new sound he had gotten used to hearing and it was easily in his list of top ten songs from people he heard. When Marinette, Kagami and he would get together he would hear such wonderful melodies. 

Marinette had often joked that they were the Three Musketeers with how often they would hang out together when they could. Without Marinette it felt like a knife to the heart to use the group chat between the three that was titled as such so he and Kagami never touched it when they spoke. Phone calls were still too much for Luka at the moment so the two just texted each other but it still brought him comfort all the same. That was probably another reason why his mother wasn’t pushing too much, it probably would have been a different story if he had cut off all his friends but especially Kagami since his mom knew how close they along with Marinette were. But he still overheard his mom talking on the phone over how worried she was and how she didn’t know what to do. Luka always felt like telling her she was doing all she could and just comfort her but he didn’t have the energy. He suspected she was talking to his dad or Penny, most likely both. He knew from the sounds of it his dad wasn’t doing so well either with the news. 

“Snakelet…” 

The voice of his Kwami cut through the current haze Luka found himself in but he couldn’t bring himself to look at his friend but he did manage to hum as a response. 

“I have thought about what I could say that would make you feel better for ages. I came to the conclusion that no words I could offer would make you happy. Nor satisfied. But I don’t want to leave you with no words from me. I…I am lost. I have been through this situation more times than I’d like to admit and yet all those instances have left me with no answers.” Sass admitted in his soft voice as he flew to sit in front of Luka’s face on his pillow. Luka couldn’t look away, he wouldn’t look away, he knew it would hurt his small friend if he did so. 

“Though there are few words I can give you that express my condolences and support, I simply will say, I am here for you.” Sass said and did his best to give Luka a hug, though it was more like he laid himself on Luka’s nose. “I am here for you and I will continue to be here if ever you need me.”

Luka felt himself begin to cry again, which astounded him as he felt like he was all out of tears. “Sass…” He choked out, he tried his best not to sound like he was going to sob but he knew he failed when he felt Sass try to hug him harder. 

“What do I do?” He asked in a small voice once his small cry ended. Sass was no longer on his nose but instead sat in his hands as he finally sat up after what felt like ages. 

“ We do our best to move forward.”

“We?”

“I did say I will be with you. I mean it, every step of the way, I will be here.” Sass didn’t say he promised but Luka could hear it in his tone of voice. It was a promise but it felt like more. It felt like a lifeline. 

Luka couldn’t really think of an appropriate response without risk of crying again and he already had a cry-headache settling in. “What…What do we do?”

“We need to go to…Ladybug’s house, her room specifically.” Luka was about to protest that suggestion, because he was absolutely not ready to do that. He didn’t think he would ever be ready. “I know that is probably the last thing you want to do Snakelet, but I can’t communicate with the other Kwami to see if one of their holders can do it. The Miracle Box is sitting in…Ladybug’s room unknown and unprotected. If someone with ill intentions were to find it there would be great difficulties and more tragedy.”

“More?” Luka felt his anger rise at an alarming speed. “Hasn’t there been enough?”

“Luka…I understand you are in pain and worried. I…I am also going through the same. My friends  are unconscious and unresponsive…I…I can barely feel them even if they are in the same room.” At Sass’s words Luka’s anger all but left him in an instant. “Besides obtaining the Miracle Box and keeping it safe, I feel something telling me that Tikki and Plagg need the Miracle Box. I can’t explain and I know you are hurting, but-”

“Okay.”

“-it is…Wait. Okay? You…You will do it?” Sass asked and the wide-eyed hopeful look on his face broke Luka’s heart a little bit more. Sometimes it was hard to remember that he wasn’t the only one hurting even if it felt like it at times. 

“You and me, Sass, you…you said you were here for me and I’ll be here for you. We’re friends.” Luka said softly as he brought the Kwami to his chest in the best hug he could give, it was somewhat like the hug Sass gave Luka earlier. He wanted to make Sass feel as safe and loved as the Kwami had made him feel despite their size difference. After their hug Luka forced himself to get out of bed and ignored how weak his legs felt and softly said his transformation phrase. It felt weird being Viperion even though it really hadn’t been that long since he had last transformed but there was this odd feeling like being in his hero form was wrong without…Ladybug there to lead. Ladybug, it was easier to think of her as Ladybug, it didn’t lessen the pain but it made it just a bit more bearable. But now he was going to her house, to her room and he knew what it looked like, smelled like and there would be no way to think of her as Ladybug when he was in there.

He had to do this though. For Sass and for Ladybug, he would rather die than let the rest of the Miraculi fall into the wrong hands. He'd be damned if he didn’t protect the city that Ladybug loved with her whole heart and soul. So he made his way to her home, to her tower. He and Kagami often joked about Marinette being the princess in the tower and Mari-Ladybug only laughed. She loved her tower. Kagami once joked when it was the two of them that Kagami was M-Ladybug’s knight while he was her minstrel. He had laughed and agreed but later he would think about it and decided he would be a knight if she needed him to be. Though she had needed him and he hadn’t been there. Nope! No! He would not fall down that line of thinking as he was jumping across rooftops and using his lyre to help him along the way. It was a weird day when they found out his lyre could turn into a crossbow, the end of his “arrows” could also change into a grappling gun. 

Apparently he and Sass had been bonding pretty well and slowly harmonizing which is why his lyre upgraded to one of its forms. The arrows of the crossbow themselves were weird as he didn’t carry a quiver or anything but an arrow would be equipped if he needed it. Some had no arrowheads, some had normal arrowheads, others had barbed arrowheads, and sometimes the arrows had string attached to them. Whatever kind of arrow he needed, it would show up on the crossbow already loaded. Sass had told him that that showed just how in tune the two were becoming and that soon they would probably be able to communicate with one another while Luka was transformed. It was something he had been looking forward to. He was sure it would come in handy and besides, he already talked out loud when transformed, it may have looked weird but he had been talking to his kwami even if he didn’t think he could hear him at the time. He hadn’t but now he would, hopefully soon. 

Finally, Luka touched down on the roof of Ma-Ladybug’s tower and looked around in sadness as he noticed the plants up there had wilted. Before he could talk himself out of it he opened the hatch of the roof and jumped through and onto the floor of the bedroom. Some dust had begun to settle and it broke Luka’s heart more but he willed himself to take deep breaths before he dropped his transformation. He and Sass needed to be able to talk and they weren’t quite at that stage of being able to communicate with one another. As the transformation dropped he looked down at the dirty pink bag that he had taken to looking after and opened it to look at the kwamis who slept inside. Tikki and Plagg, as he had learned from Sass, were normally darker in their colors but looking at them they seemed shades or tones paler, well according to Sass.

“So what are we looking for?” Luka asked as he refused to look anywhere else but his kwami. 

Sass had opened his mouth, probably to respond but both of them froze when they heard thumps coming from the roof and the unmistakable murmur of voices. Luka scooped his kwami out of the air and quickly hid behind M- Ladybug’s .( Ladybug. Goddammit .) chaise. The light in the room was off and he himself had been wearing some of his darker clothes…er well, pajamas. Both kwami and teen held their breath as the hatch to the roof was opened and down came two? No, three, actually make it four, people. It took a minute for Luka to recognize them as his teammates. He didn’t know whether or not to greet them but that choice disappeared when a purple kwami and blue kwami flew out from somewhere and floated in the middle of the room. 

“Please don’t be scared!” The purple one pleaded. “I am Nooroo and this is Duusuu. I am the kwami of the Butterfly Miraculous while Duusuu is the kwami for the Peacock. I know that alarms you but please listen. I called my friends here and they probably don’t know why or just had a feeling they had to come here so you followed.”

Barely after speaking, the kwami - Nooroo, was sped into by Sass who flew so fast the two kwami shot off into the air. Luka figured there was no point in hiding anymore and stepped out from his hiding place and awkwardly waved at his teammates. They seemed to be in shock before Noc-Turtle mumbled something and their transformation dropped revealing Marc Anciel. Fox-Tail’s jaw dropped before he hastily said his detransformation phrase and there stood Nathaniel Kurtzberg who hurried over Marc and hugged him. Donryu had been looking at Luka the whole time and quietly made her way over to him, once she was in front of him she too dropped her transformation and there was Kagami. It shouldn’t have shocked him as much as it did but the two just stood there staring at each other before they heard an odd wheeze come from Bee-Witch who was staring at everyone with wide eyes. She too dropped her transformation and only to the shock of Marc and Nathaniel, she turned out to be Chloe Bourgeois. 

“I don’t know how to handle all these revelations at the moment but I can work through them later with my cat.” Marc said, clearly still in some shock. “Er-Nooroo right? Can you explain more?”

Nooroo who was in the middle of a kwami group hug along with Duusuu nodded and reluctantly left the hug. “Like I said, I was able to call you all here to meet, I had to borrow power from the other kwami in the Miracle Box though. I’m not at full power and even then my messages would have been more feeling than anything. Sorry, I’m rambling. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to talk so freely.”

“You are fine, Our Friend.” Pollen reassured while glaring at everyone else like she was daring them to argue. 

“Take your time.” Sass murmured from his spot next to his friend. Luka wanted to comfort the little kwami but he didn’t think it would help given how Luka could imagine he was treated by his former user. If Luka were him, he would be wary of humans no matter how well intentioned. 

Nooroo took a deep breath and nodded. “I…I don’t really know where to start. What I have to say is…shocking to say the least. I know all of us here have been through a lot…have lost a lot…but I felt like if I stayed quiet I would be betraying Ladybug just…just like Chat Noir did.”

It was quiet. So quiet. Until Nathaniel choked out a small, “What?”

Duusuu merely nodded in response along with Nooroo. “It was awful. Chat Noir and his father planned the entire thing. Chat Noir planned to be suspicious of Gabriel Agreste once more and had you guys purposefully find out he was guilty of being Hawkmoth. Ladybug was the big target and you guys would have been just…collateral. So when Ladybug proposed the ambush…”

“Uncle Gabe already knew.” Chloe stated in a voice full of disgust even if her eyes were filled with tears. 

“He did.” Nooroo confirmed. “Chat Noir played his role well and the ambush was happening so fast. Ladybug could barely try and fight back before she was secured to the chair. She was so angry…so heartbroken…she did all she could to fight against Gabriel and his son…”

There were some gasps among the humans at the information but Luka merely took a much needed breath in. He had guessed as much since the only ones in the house after the explosion had been Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie and the body of Emilie Agreste. It just clicked. Sure Chat Noir could have disappeared like Marin-Ladybug did but that didn’t feel right. Chat had already been acting off before the ambush and confirming he was in fact Adrien was like the final nail in the coffin. Luka had had suspicions of who the Chat was and just whose side he was on but after everything, the confirmation was bitter. According to Sass, Luka had known who he and Ladybug were but the memories of their identities faded as a safety measure to keep the team’s identities safe. Luka would only have kept the memories if both heroes had accepted he knew and trusted him. It was weird but Luka just chalked it up to Miraculous Magic. 

He wished he had been able to remember, if he had then maybe all of this wouldn’t have happened. He wouldn’t be standing in M-Lady…no. He had to stop. It didn't matter how much he told himself, Ladybug was Marinette. Marinette was Ladybug. They were one and the same and denying it to himself was more likely to hurt him than bring him healing. He couldn’t delude himself anymore. It hurt, it hurt so much, but he had to acknowledge the truth because that was the only way he’d be able to move forward and help protect the city that Marinette adored. He missed her. He missed her so much, but he had to do the healthy thing and not try and separate her from herself. It would be like he wasn’t giving her, her due credit and Marinette deserved so much credit. “If Adrien and his dad got the earrings…then why did the mansion explode like it did?” Luka asked so they could continue. They could all mourn and scream and cry after, but right now they needed information.

“I’m not sure.” Nooroo admitted. “Everything was happening so fast. Gabriel was so close to making his wish and magic was everywhere in preparation. But I felt it, it was this enormous feeling of betrayal and anger that washed over all of us. Tikki looked so scared and worried and Plagg looked shocked. I had turned to where I felt the emotions and it was no surprise they were coming from Ladybug…but just as I looked at her, there was this awful cracking and whistling. Like something was breaking through the roof and flooring at high speed. I panicked as did the other kwami but Tikki looked…she looked like she recognized what was happening.”

“She looked like her heart broke.” Duusuu mumbled, their voice was soft and scratchy. They seemed to be in pain. 

“The room filled with this bright, bright red light and then next thing I know…the mansion exploded. Ladybug was nowhere to be seen.” Nooroo flew over to Luka and pointed at the open pink bag in his hands. “Tikki and Plagg know what happened, but because of all the ambient magic, plus the overwhelming emotions swirling in the air, and their own merging being interrupted, they were hurt.”

“Something like this hasn’t happened in a long time.” Wayzz admitted. 

“So there is a way to help them?” Kagami asked. 

Wayzz nodded. “Yes. But it will take time…a lot of time. I’ve never seen them so bad. The best we can do is return them to the Miracle Box. It will heal them, but the damage is great and as I said, it will take time. Nooroo, I imagine you called us here, not only to tell us the truth but also because of the Miracle Box.”

“That’s right. The Miracle Box will be vulnerable if there is no one to watch over it as it heals our friends. I sensed the box here and that’s only because Duusuu and I are both still being affected by the interrupted magic. We’re more sensitive right now.”

“One of our holders will definitely protect the box.” Pollen declared. “They are all brave heroes.”

All the humans looked at one another in disbelief. Marinette had been guarding this box all while being Ladybug? They knew she was amazing but this was something else entirely. Luka sadly guessed that this is why she was always so stressed. If they had to watch this box and protect it then so be it. He’d do it for Marinette, no matter the cost. Now all that they needed to decide was who to send the box with.

Chapter Text

Roger had always wanted to be a cop ever since he was a little boy. It had surprised his parents that his interest hadn’t waned over the years but they had been overall very supportive of him. They celebrated when he got accepted into EOGN and they celebrated when he graduated. Roger had loved every minute of training and after training, working. It was tough, he would admit that, but it was something he loved and that kept him running on his most difficult days. Then he had Sabrina and his focus shifted for a while. No longer was his entire world his wife and work, his entire world became his daughter. He took time off work to help his wife after Sabrina’s birth and he loved it. He loved holding her in his arms, he loved the little gummy smile she would give him when she saw him, he loved the smell of her baby lotion and detergent that filled the house, hell he even loved how her little nose would get red when she had soiled a diaper. He loved everything about her. 

Then his wife passed and it felt like his world would forever be darker and broken with no means of repair. He felt like the rug had been pulled from under his feet over and over again with that sickening sensation of a big drop ride accompanying it. But from that darkness and falling sensation, he found his footing in his baby girl. His baby girl who really hadn’t understood what was happening but knew her Papa was sad, so with her chubby little hands wrapped around his fingers she would pull him from his worst thoughts. She was his little light, she was his purpose and she was his world. Roger couldn’t let the grief suffocate him, for his baby girl he had to mourn and grieve and pick himself up again. His mother and mother-in-law had both been pillars of support he had desperately needed. He worked as hard as he could to make money and when he was home he spent all his time looking after his daughter. 

Things got easier as Sabrina grew, but time had passed by fast, too fast for Roger. In the blink of an eye his little girl had grown, it seemed like forever ago when he first heard her say Papa, since he saw her first steps, from the first day of school. It made him misty-eyed to think about it too long. She was so close to graduating, that also made him misty-eyed if he thought about it. She was such a smart girl but she had a habit of being a follower and that scared him. How would he protect her if she moved so far away? But at the same time he didn’t want to be a helicopter parent and restrict her or hold her back. Ultimately all he could do was be there for her, but he knew the fear would never go away. After seeing how her friendship, if you can even call it that, with the Mayor’s daughter had gone and how she had latched onto another powerful classmate, the thought of her leaving out of his reach made him uneasy. He had nothing against the Rossi girl, she sounded nice despite all the influence she had, but he hated how all the kids in her class followed her. 

It was more than a little disturbing and reminded him of some very unpleasant cases he had read about, heard about, or even seen, where a close group like that is susceptible to the ‘mob’ mentality. But despite his worry, the group was as close knit as they had been in collège and hadn’t gotten in any type of trouble. Sometimes he felt like he worried too much but with Hawkmoth still around and his helper Mayura he felt like he was entitled to worry. Especially about his daughter, she had already been akumatized about 4 times now and he just could not stand seeing her go through another. He just didn’t want her friendship taken advantage of again so maybe that’s why he always asked about her and her classmates. So he wasn’t all that surprised about a call coming for something happening at the Agreste Mansion. Though he would be completely transparent and say he thought maybe Adrien snapped and hurt his father or Adrien ran away or something like that. Sabrina had really worried about her model classmate and constantly told him how Adrien slipped some info about his home life to the class and how it worried her. 

So when the call came, Roger hadn’t been surprised, but as more details came in and when he and many others arrived, the surprise kicked in. Where the once impressive Agreste Mansion stood there, in its place, looked like what could only be described as a crater. No one really spoke for a bit and honestly if they had been Roger wasn’t sure if he would have been able to hear them. All he could think about was the fact he was most likely going to have to see more dead bodies and one of them would be a kid his daughter’s age. Cases that involved kids always hit him the hardest and he didn’t know if he would be able to do it. Miraculously no one had died…or at least that is what he thought in the beginning. The days seemed to pass incredibly slow yet somehow simultaneously in some kind of hyper speed. It was disorienting. 

The Agreste men and Mlle Sancoeur were in and out of consciousness but Roger had overheard some doctors discussing the merit of inducing comas. The winning side seemed to be no since there was surprisingly no traumatic brain injuries. Though the actual amount of injuries each received was staggering and nearly made him lose his lunch when he also overheard the surgeries and possible surgeries that were on the table. It was because of that, and the fact the heroes of Paris had been really quiet since that night, that Roger vowed to find the answers to this awful situation. The people of Paris were rallying in support of a speedy recovery for the Agreste men and Mlle Sancoeur. Some of Roger’s colleagues ended up being assigned as bodyguards for the three given how many times they had to escort fans of Adrien off the property. Somehow they always found ways to slip past the hospital’s own security. 

It was more than a rough time, those folks deserved their time to heal and recuperate and Roger thought that by solving what happened the night of the tragedy, he would at least be able to bring them some slight relief. Though he would be lying if he said he wasn’t also motivated to see what happened just to find out for the sake of finding out. It was a mystery, one that had everyone in a chokehold, not just the station, it was all of Paris. The Miraculous Team was all but missing, they hadn’t said anything about that night, not even on their official blog. Ladybug hadn’t been seen since, there was talk of some news segment that had happened that night but Roger had yet to see it. He had been so focused on the family that Nadja’s report had slipped his mind but it was placed in a folder on his computer to view later as it was considered evidence. The crime scene hadn’t been touched since but the fact that there had been so many people there that night that had no idea what they disturbed and what they hadn’t. So Nadja’s report was very important and Roger was going to start his investigation by watching that. 

“Lieutenant!” Or maybe it would have to wait. 

“Officer Allard.” Roger said in greeting.

“Sorry to interrupt but we got something big.” That had Roger’s attention immediately. 

“Is this for the Agreste case?” He had to know. 

Officer Allard nodded immediately, he looked breathless but excited. “We were able to recover video footage from the Agreste Mansion security cameras. We’re lucky that all footage was backed up.”

“We have footage?” Roger asked, he felt his hope rise. 

“We have footage.” Allard confirmed. 

It wasn’t long till they got everyone on the case in one of the meeting rooms in order to watch the footage. It was a mix of Roger’s department and the judicial police, who had let them work with them given all that had happened in Paris. They had the authority and definitely could have kept them out of the investigation but this had shook Paris to its core. This wasn’t an akuma attack, that they knew of anyway, this was an unknown attack and it scared everybody. They were so used to being terrorized by Hawkmoth and Mayura that they forgot that non-magical crime existed for a while. Though, there was no saying if this was magical or not, this just seemed so different than what they were used to. It wasn’t just the attack that had everyone on edge, Hawkmoth had been quiet, even before the attack he had been quiet. It was like the calm before the storm and it raised the people’s anxiety. 

“I got it connected to the projector, I’m going to play the day of the attack and if needed, I’m ready to view footage from other days if we need them.” One of the judicial police personnel announced. Roger felt a bit ashamed that he didn’t know all their names yet. 

“Sounds good!” Allard, ever the friendly one, said with a thumbs up. It had Roger huff out a quiet laugh. 

Everyone watched the screen in anticipation as the video started. It was odd to see all the different rooms at once but as soon as they saw someone enter the frame, the man who was at the computer made it so they only saw the one screen of the room. Everything looked fairly normal for the family, though no one really knew what normal was like for them but overall, it looked like a normal day one could imagine the little family had. They watched who they found out to be, the Agreste Family’s personal chef’s. The two, a husband and wife, were seen entering the house and quickly making the familiar path to the kitchen. It was honestly kind of boring so all those in attendance voted to rush through until more people came up. From there they saw the family eat, Adrien leave for school and the chef’s leave until they were required for lunch. More fast forwarding to lunch when Adrien arrived back home, Adrien, Nathalie and Gabriel seemed to request lunch in Gabriel’s office. 

Maybe that wouldn’t have been so weird if the chefs hadn’t looked so shocked. It wasn’t hard to guess that that wasn’t something that normally happened, or happened at all before that day. With no sound they could only guess at why this was so weird as they saw the chefs talking about it. Body language at least made up for the lack of audio. Lunch was served and it was obvious that the chefs had been dismissed, but they looked a little shocked to be dismissed so hurriedly. Roger made a mental note to invite the two into the station for an interview. They had a list of employees that the Agreste family knew and those who had been seen going in and out of the house, but with how hectic everything had been, they hadn’t gotten around to interviewing everyone. Time in the video went on and it seemed like the Agreste Family, and yes Mlle Sancoeur was included in that, had had a meeting of sorts that day in M Agreste’s office. It seemed to be about something serious. 

It also looked incredibly suspicious. Now, there was nothing wrong with having family meetings, but this felt wrong, their body language was odd and the way they kept looking at the portrait of Emilie Agreste was weird. “Why are they looking at the portrait so much?” Allard murmured, most likely he thought the comment wouldn’t have been loud but given how everyone present had been silent, the words had seemed like a shout. 

“I would say perhaps they were grieving her disappearance anniversary, but it is nowhere near the anniversary.” One of Roger’s oldest friends in the force, Agent Martin Darcy, pointed out.

“Is that something that is public knowledge?” One of the judicial team members asked in confusion. 

“Oh yeah,” Agent Durand sighed. “It was a big thing. The investigation had been overall short but felt like years. It’s still an open case and M Agreste calls for any new info every month like clockwork.”

“Hm…” Was all that was said as they all focused on the screen once more. 

Things passed and Roger had started to grow bored but he persisted in watching, it didn’t matter if it was mind-numbing to watch M Agreste take an hour just to decide which shade of yellow he liked for a design, Roger vowed to get them answers and answers he would get! More time passed as they watched and…they got answers, but it wasn’t anything they had expected. It left everyone speechless. Roger himself felt like his chair had been pulled right out from under him and he just kept falling and falling. He didn’t want to believe it yet the evidence was right in front of him. Gabriel Agreste had been Hawkmoth, Nathalie Sancoeur was Mayura and…Adrien Agreste had been Chat Noir and he had betrayed their beloved spotted hero, Ladybug.

And Ladybug…

Ladybug had been a child. 

Ladybug had been as old as his daughter when she…

Ladybug had been one of his daughter’s classmates.

Ladybug was Marinette Dupain-Cheng and she had saved them all at the cost of herself. There had to be something in the now destroyed Agreste Mansion that would point to what happened to her. She couldn’t just be gone. There had been that bright red light and then she was just gone and the camera’s shorted out. Roger had to…he needed to…he would find her justice. He had thought the Agreste’s needed his help, he had given them his sympathy and his time. Roger was enraged, he had barked out orders to get a squad together so they could all go investigate the Agreste Mansion. Everyone had acted swiftly and sooner than he had thought, they had arrived at the crime scene. It felt like forever before they were able to secure a safe way down. And down, down they went. It was eerie, no one spoke much as they investigated the place but then there had been that awful scream from Agent Fontaine. He would never forget her scream.

There was a rush of activity, they all rushed toward her, weapons drawn. There was no danger…well physically but the moment Roger realized what she had screamed at it felt like he had had years of his life ripped away harshly. He had seen enough crime scenes to know what blood looked like, even in its charred state. And there next to the charred body of blood, it really couldn’t even be called a puddle with how much there was, there was a piece of what looked like a cuff of a jacket. It was white with pink polka-dots…or at least it had been at one point. Flashes of the surveillance video abruptly crashed into the forefront of Roger’s mind and all he could see was a struggling Marinette who had been wearing her signature jacket. Oh god…her jacket. That was a piece of her jacket . It hit Roger like a freight train. He knew that jacket and he knew that little girl who had been struggling and fighting till her last moments. 

His legs gave out and he found himself on the ground, distantly he could hear panicked voices and felt hands try and help him up or check him over. “I can’t…”

“Lieutenant!” 

“I…I can’t be on this case. I take myself off the case.” Roger blurted out in a rush, almost as fast as the tears that fell from his face. “I knew her. Oh god…I knew her.” 

Officer Lucas Allard didn’t know what to do with himself. His colleague and superior Lieutenant Roger Raincomprix, someone he looked up to had taken himself off the biggest case they had ever had and it wasn’t like he didn’t understand why, but he found himself feeling lost. They had, all those who had gone back to the Agreste Mansion, had found one comatose Emilie Agreste in a hidden basement level no one had known about. They all had thought that the, what could only be described as a lair, in the videos had been the only hidden room but it felt foolish to believe that now that the evidence had been shown to them. Now, instead of them trying to find justice for the Agreste’s, it turned into a case against them. Someone had to go through all the available footage and Lucas had been the first to volunteer.

It was tedious and menial like all other video footage they had to comb through but with the context of what they could find it became so much more important. It was important to his Lieutenant, to the police force, to all of Paris and Lucas was determined to slap any and all charges he could uncover on the Agreste Family. There were many moments of watching Gabriel Agreste monologue to himself in his lair or talking to his victims and there were many moments of Adrien Agreste sneaking out as Chat Noir but it was noted that the times he left were considerably later than when he was needed or contacted. It just added more credit to the ongoing theory that Chat Noir had always been meant to betray Ladybug and the rest of Team Miraculous. It made Lucas unbelievably angry. 

Ladybug had done her best to protect them, then the team she put together did the same. They were all so dedicated and determined, it made it hard not to be motivated to be the same way in his work. He may not have been a hero in the magical sense, but Lucas had vowed to be his own kind of hero. So yeah, his eyes were stinging from his infrequent blinking, he was probably getting a headache from staring at the screens for so long and so intensely, but he refused to give in. He felt almost manic searching through each video they had and trying to find anything that could be important. He was so close to giving in to his fatigue when he saw it. A girl walked in and from what Lucas could remember, she had been in Adrien’s class.

They were going to eventually talk to the rest of the class to see if they noticed anything off about Adrien but hadn’t gotten around to it but they all knew who was in his class. That’s why Lucas recognized her as someone from Adrien’s class, he paused the videos to grab the file next to him that had people of interest and there she was, Lila Rossi. Why was she visiting the Agreste Mansion when Adrien wasn’t there? It was strange, more than actually so he watched as the girl greeted Mlle Sancoeur and then waited to be escorted to Gabriel’s office. From there it seemed they were having some sort of meeting and Lucas had been ready to dismiss it as a meeting about her modeling but paused when he saw Gabriel pull up a picture of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Ladybug. His heart dropped at the way Lila Rossi’s face twisted into a sneer before she schooled it into a look of resignation. 

When Mlle Rossi finally left Lucas saw Gabriel save what had to have been a video of his meeting with the teen into a folder on his computer. Lucas burst into action, they had the computer with them, they were able to save some of the files and Lucas needed to know what it was. He heard some people shout in shock at him but he paid no attention. He sprinted out of the room he had been working in, the room the team had been in before, and grabbed the flash drive that held the contents of Gabriel Agreste’s computer. Lucas knew others from the team were following him now but he did not stop. He connected the drive and did his best to rush to the folder he had seen on Gabriel’s computer. Thankfully the laptop he was using was connected to the projector still so everyone who followed him saw what he was doing. 

Once the seemingly innocuous folder was opened they all saw documents on top of documents, videos on top of videos and voice recordings on top of voice recordings instead of design ideas meant for Lila Rossi. Lucas clicked on the top file which happened to be a voice recording. “ Hello? ” The room was filled by the voice of who could only be Lila Rossi. 

“ Miss Rossi .” Gabriel’s voice came out of the speakers, but it sounded deeper. Lucas did not fail to notice how some of those around him flinched at the sound, they had all been akumatized at one point he noted. 

“ Hawkmoth .” Lila greeted in barely restrained glee. It made Lucas’s stomach drop. “ Do you need my help again? Do you need me to be an akuma again?”

“What the fuck…?” One of the judicial police, Carmen Fortin, murmured in her shock. 

“Did she just say, again?” Agent Darcy growled.

“ Eager as always, Miss Rossi. ” Gabriel stated like it was the most normal thing he had heard. “ But no, no akuma this time. While I am aware you are…skilled in projecting your anger when the time needs, I am calling to see what progress you have made on Miss Dupain-Cheng .”

Everyone was quiet. 

“ I’m doing my best .” Lila gritted out in false cheeriness. “ I’ve isolated her in class, I’ve spread rumors, I’ve had her pathetic friends wrapped around my finger and had them denounce their friendship to her. I don’t know what more I can do. Why do you even want her to be akumatized? What do you and Gabriel Agreste see in her? She has no potential! She’s a lame goody-teo-shoes and- ”

“ Rossi .” Gabriel barked and everyone in the room flinched. “ Leave your inferiority complex at the door. I have explained time and time again why Miss Dupain-Cheng is imperative to our success. ”

“ Well then what do I do? ” Lila asked, obviously irritated. 

“ Do I have to have ideas for you too? Get creative Miss Rossi, if you can spin a web as…well as you do, this should be child’s play. I want Dupain-Cheng broken…I want her angry, I want her to be so impossibly lost that she won’t even think of denying Hawkmoth’s hand for help. ” 

“... I understand. I won’t fail you. ” It sounded like every word brought Lila pain.

“ No. You won’t .” 

The call ended then and still no one knew what to say. Hawkmoth had another accomplice and it was a teenage girl, and by the look of the absolute depth of the possible blackmail folder had, she had been an accomplice for a long time. Lucas didn’t call people evil lightly, but looking at the size of the folder he couldn’t help but think Lila Rossi was evil. How could one teen hate someone so much? How deep did this go? Just how many other people were involved in the attack on one Marinette Dupain-Cheng? On Paris? Lucas was scared to find out, but first, they needed to track down Lila Rossi and her mother.

Chapter Text

Confused. Betrayed. Angry. These were all words that described how Rose had been feeling lately and yet she pushed herself to attend the class picnic with Juleka. It hardly even compared to past picnics they had had in the past. The usual soft, pillow-y blanket was replaced by a blanket so thin that the still present morning dew that draped over the prickly blades of grass stabbed through the fabric easily and brought a chill to her legs and an itchiness that seemed never ending. It was irritating but Rose didn’t want to say anything and make Kim feel bad since he was the one to bring said blanket. Plus it would have most likely broken the tentative good mood everyone was in. She was doing her best to stay the happy-go-lucky Rose that everyone expected her to be but it was getting harder and harder to do so as the days went by. Even her appetite had been affected by her mood, she just simply wasn’t hungry which made her want to cry. She tried her best to eat because when she was sick she hadn’t gotten to eat a lot of food like she was able to do now but looking around at the food that laid on the blanket there just wasn’t anything that looked nor sounded good. 

The food from her memories of past picnics danced around her thoughts and mocked her. The food from those times had been homemade and filled her with such warmth and joy even if something hadn’t been the best tasting. But today everything was store bought, not that there was anything wrong with that! There was just something about everyone bringing something homemade to past picnics that made this one feel lacking. Rose simply couldn’t help the way her stomach clenched and mouth watered remembering the food from the past but it would quickly die when she remembered that was when Marinette had been part of the group. She always encouraged everyone to bring something homemade without even outright asking for it. It was like knowing that she herself would make something for the picnic and not just ask her parents to give her something, motivated everyone else to do the same. And the smile she had given to everyone when she saw what they brought seemed to make the sun shine brighter those days. Then things changed abruptly and Rose had questioned whether those smiles were real or an illusion as Lila had mused aloud about. It scared her to think someone could be so manipulative. Her views changed once more when she watched Nadja’s broadcast.

 The speculation that Marinette had…that she had died that night…hit particularly hard. All Rose could think about was every instance that the pig-tailed girl had been there for her and the rest of the class. She thought of all the laughs they shared and even tears. Marinette was always there and hearing the news was like a slap to the face. How could Rose ever think that Marinette was anything but genuine? How could the class think that? But then that would mean Lila had lied or just severely misunderstood something and everyone just believed it and turned on their friend. Rose couldn’t even remember the last thing she had ever said to Marinette but it was more than likely nothing nice since she had believed the girl to be a bully. That thought made her appetite really disappear and her stomach clench. She was sure everyone else was thinking similar things so really it would be cruel to expect homemade food at a time like this. The weather that had once been predicted to be sunny and cloud free was still sunny but a biting wind had plagued the day every now and then. So things looked well and good but it hid small disappointments all throughout.

 It reminded Rose of those true crime documentaries that Juleka loved to binge. The families tended to have a pattern in the one's she watched, where on the outside they seemed like the perfect family with the perfect life but behind closed doors they were anything but. It reminded her of the situation the class was in. Except most had well and truly believed in the perfection others perceived them to have. It would have been extremely ignorant of Rose to say she didn't notice how the rest of the school looked at her class in envy, because she did and she tried her best not to show how pleased that made her. She never wanted to come across as entitled or anything of the like, she knew their situation had been a rare one. Where everyone in class got along, with the exception of Chloe and Sabrina in the beginning, and their teacher was nice and kind. They had the picture perfect class. 

Until they didn’t. 

Oh they still acted like it was, Rose was mature enough to admit that, because everyone wanted that envy and that admiration their class was accustomed to. She recalled how Lila wanted to warn the other students in different classes about Marinette’s ‘true’ self but somehow Alya and Max had talked her out of it. She knew Lila hadn’t been happy about that so the girl group decided to take her out for lunch as what could only be described as a bribe the more Rose thought about it. It made her throat dry in guilt and shame. She hastily grabbed her cup of lemonade and took a big drink and nearly choked at the speed she did so. She managed to refrain from coughing and hoped no one noticed her little slip up. Thankfully it seemed like no one had so she took the time to look over at her friends. Alya and Nino were setting up her tablet as the police were going to be giving a statement on everything, Max and Alix were playing some kind of switch game together with Markov giving advice. Mylène, Ivan and Sabrina were snacking on the food and talking about something. Kim was laid out next to the blanket staring at his phone, and Juleka was listening to music in one ear.

It was then that Rose remembered she was also listening to music and it was like the realization broke the dam on her hearing and everything came alive around her. She did her best not to wince at the guitar solo that started off in a high pitch since she didn’t want Juleka to think she didn’t like the song. She did her best to be as nonchalant as possible as she took the earphone she had in out, she was more of a headphone person since earphones tended to hurt the inside of her ears if she wore them too long. Juleka knew that which is why she didn’t look upset when she noticed Rose taking out the earphone. “How’s your ear? The song wasn’t that long was it?” 

“Don’t worry Jules, the song was great. I’m just a little thirsty. I finished my lemonade so fast…” Rose lied and was grateful that Juleka seemed to buy it. 

“That’s a quick fix.” Juleka mumbled with a small smile as she stood up and went to get Rose a refill of lemonade. Rose tried her best not to think of how Marinette would bring the customized cups she made for everyone to a picnic. They were paper cups that she printed designs on and bought each one in bulk. It always made Rose feel special when she would get her pink and purple kittens printed cup with her name in a beautiful cursive old font. Today’s cups were plastic with their names written on them in permanent marker. It was still cursive, Juleka had wonderful cursive and did her very best to make it look nice so Rose felt bad about the disappointment that swelled in her every time she saw the cups. She did her best to not let it show when Juleka turned with a smile to give her her drink. 

“Thank you.” 

“No problem.”

The lemonade Juleka got her was the perfect blend of sour and sweet and yet she couldn’t enjoy it. Even though it was her favorite lemonade, one that Alix made sure to bring because her friend knew it was her favorite. Rose wanted to cry. But she couldn’t, not now, she felt like she didn’t deserve to. All of them, everyone here was trying to be as normal as possible in the light of their revelations. No one said it out loud but Rose was sure that they all came to the realization that they had made a big mistake. More than a big mistake but none of them knew how to voice it nor accept it nor move past it. They were stuck in some messed up limbo. Marinette was…dead. There was no other reality, a person they had been good friends with then broke that friendship was dead. Rose didn’t know if they all felt like her though, like they didn’t deserve to cry over Marinette being gone because they weren’t friends with the girl when she died. It was depressing. 

Worst of all no one could get a hold of Lila. Maybe she felt bad for the misunderstanding that drove the class, minus Nathaniel and Chloe, away from Marinette. Lila was so kind and thoughtful that Rose had no doubt that the girl was probably drowning herself in some kind of misplaced guilt and Rose’s heart broke more at the image her mind conjured of an alone Lila crying nonstop and apologizing to a photo of Marinette. Though, thinking of it, Lila probably only had a photo of their latest class picture that had Marinette in it. The thought was sad all the same and Rose wished once more that the class had been able to get ahold of Lila. She felt like the girl could have used a picnic like today to unwind and see how everyone supported her and were there for her. Even if the picnic felt off to Rose, maybe it would have been the thing that helped Lila feel better and come back to school. 

“What seems to be the matter Kim?” Max’s question got Rose and almost everyone’s attention. It was then that Rose realized just how quiet the usually boisterous boy had been all day. It made her somehow feel worse. 

Kim sighed loudly and rolled onto his back, “Ondine hasn’t been answering my texts, calls, ChatSnaps, Rapidgrams, basically anything and everything that I thought I could use to try and talk to her. She’s been mad for a while now and I don’t know why.” 

“Did you guys fight recently?” Rose asked. 

A sigh once again. “That seems to be the only time we talked but that was like two months ago! She said she wanted a break and wanted, no needed, time away from me.” 

“...Well, if she said she needs time, Kim. then…” Nino awkwardly pointed out. 

“But how much time? It’s been ages!” Kim whined and while a part of Rose felt sorry for him, another part felt for Ondine. Maybe it was like some weird female sense or something but Rose understood that when a girl says she needs time, she needs more than a few days. Kim had always been impatient but he clearly needed his friends’ comfort. 

“Well,” Juleka hedged, “how bad was the fight?” 

By the wince Kim gave, it was bad and all the girls in the group looked at each other. It seemed like they all came to a consensus because they all gave Kim sad looks. “Did you maybe misunderstand her? Did she really say she wanted a break or did she say you guys were broken up?” Alya asked carefully. 

“No! I mean, I don’t think she really meant broken up. I know we have been fighting and everything but Ondine and I always make up.” Even though he said that, Kim didn’t look too sure. 

“What were you guys fighting about anyways?” Alix asked lazily from where she laid out across the blanket. Rose wished the skater had been looking at her because she would have at least seen Rose’s glare to pipe down. She had done her absolute best not to ruin the peace, even when she hadn’t been paying all that much attention, then Alix went and ruined it! 

Wait. 

No.

No. Rose couldn’t think like that. They were all in this together so they had to stick together. She sent a silent apology towards Alix for her somewhat unkind thoughts. It did truly feel like they were only in this weird situation together. Rose had kind of thought that they would be getting some sympathy from the other classes or at the very least, Mme Mendeleiev’s seeing as Kim and Ondine were dating. Plus Marc was in that class and Nathaniel and him were friends, but that class had been sending them looks… Rose didn’t know why and she hoped it had nothing to do with Kim and Ondine’s fight, but a part of her felt like that had nothing to do with it. The rest of the school also sent them looks, but there were also the constant whispers that went on around them and were more than likely about them, but no one had come up to them to say anything. It felt like everyone was mad at them, but Rose couldn’t understand why. Though she knew it would come to a head one day, she dreaded that. 

“We were just fighting about-” Kim had started but abruptly stopped before Alya and Nino shushed him and waved everyone towards them. The volume of Alya’s tablet increased dramatically so they could all hear presumably the police statement that the reporter had been impatiently waiting for. They didn’t get to hear the introduction but that was fine, Alya had probably started screen-recording already. They all tried to catch a view of the live broadcast on the screen, it seemed like they were filming in front of City Hall. 

“...Before we get into the details we would like to warn that the details and evidence we bring forth is not for the faint-hearted. As everyone knows we have been investigating the destruction of the Agreste Mansion, and whether it was a planned attack or an akuma. We have ruled out the involvement of an akuma, but it was also not a planned attack.” Everyone could hear the deep breath the officer took. “Again, it was not a planned attack. We don’t know exactly what happened but with evidence we have gathered, we can make a pretty good guess.”

“We were working under the assumption that this was an attack on the Agreste family and thus were doing everything we possibly could to bring them justice. During our investigation, we happened upon the security cameras that had their footage backed up, thankfully. It was as we were reviewing the footage that we found…the disturbing truth. This will shock many and maybe many won’t believe us but we have provided some of the footage for this announcement and will be shared with the media.” Everyone waited with bated breaths. Rose felt like she had stopped breathing all together.

“Gabriel Agreste…Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth.” The officer stuttered out and by the roar of sound by all her friends and fellow park goers they hadn’t missed a word he said. 

“No…No he couldn’t…I know the dude was a dick and a half but there’s no way he was Hawkmoth.” Nino said in disbelief. 

“I know this is upsetting and … shocking but I promise you will get your proof afterward. Nathalie Sancoeur was his accomplice. She was Mayura.”

“I mean if Mister Agreste was Hawkmoth then that would kind of make sense.” Alix muttered. 

“And Adrien Agreste…”

“No. There’s no way my bro was involved! If that’s what he’s implying then we know it’s bogus!” Nino yelled out as he stood up and paced.

Rose silently agreed. There was no way Adrien could be involved, he was a shy boy but overall very nice. They never hung out one on one but he was always very kind to Rose and she had seen him try and talk some sense into Marinette in the beginning of the whole ‘Lila is a liar’ thing. She admired his determination to try and get Marinette to see reason and his unwavering faith in Lila. It was one of the many reasons why she thought they’d be a good couple. At least Lila could talk to Adrien and be around him without becoming a mess. She felt bad thinking that but it was the truth and it had been so frustrating that everyone of the girl group’s plan to make Adrienette happen crashed and burned because Marinette couldn’t do something. But Adrien always handled the situations with grace and a lot of patience so again, there was no way that Adrien knew or had anything to do with his father’s crimes. No way at all. 

“Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir. Before you cheer or sigh in relief, let me be frank. Chat Noir is now believed to have been a ruse to lure Ladybug into a false sense of security and give her trust to who she believed to be her partner.” 

The roar of denial and betrayal shook Rose and she couldn’t even be sure if she had joined in. It felt like she was in daze, in a haze, just completely adrift in what they were hearing. She both wanted to and didn’t want to listen anymore. She didn’t want to believe what she had heard but at the same time she felt a burning need to know everything.

“He lured her to the Agreste Mansion, it seems, in a false drop on Gabriel Agreste, who, as we said, was operating as Hawkmoth. The tables turned quickly and…” The officer’s eyes looked glossy but his face was red in what could only be, barely contained anger. “Ladybug’s earrings were taken. She was…she was struck by Chat Noir and taunted from the looks of it as we were not able to get audio from the security videos. Then…then something happened.”

He paused. “If any children are watching this I beg the parents to either turn it off or make sure the children do not hear.” 

For a city as noisy and chaotic as Paris tended to be, it seemed like everyone was quiet and holding their breath like Rose was. 

“What we believe happened, is that Ladybug, in a last ditch effort to save us all…sa-sacrificed herself in a way we can not explain. With a scream of rage the screen turned red and then nothing, but at the scene we found evidence of this sacrifice. A sizeable puddle of charred blood and pieces of burnt clothing. Furthermore, we now have an identification of Ladybug and it is with a reluctant and heavy heart that we share this with you all. But we have been given permission by her family to share.”

Rose tasted blood, she hadn’t even noticed she had been biting her lip in anticipation. 

“Ladybug was a child, a child who without hesitation protected us time and time again, up until her last moments. Her parents felt like it would disrespect everything he had done for us to not share her name. This girl was none other than our very own, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” 

Marinette…Dupain-Cheng.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG!

Rose missed probably the rest of the announcement but the ending…the ending had her snapping back to focus so fast that if mental whiplash was a thing, she knew she would have it. 

“..And it seems like Gabriel had more help than previously thought. One guaranteed individual we know of is a minor so we will not be giving her name. With that being said, if anyone has any information of the whereabouts of Giada Rossi and her daughter, please contact us. Thank you.”

Rose was…everything at once yet numb somehow. She didn’t know how to react or if she even should react. But it seemed like someone did as she heard angry footsteps approaching their group, they were purposeful so there was no mistaking where they were heading. Rose turned to see who it was, partially hoping it was Lila to tell them it was a misunderstanding and she had an explanation that would somehow magically fix everything, but no, it was Ondine. Ondine and Mireille and Aurore and what looked to be all of Mendeleiev’s class plus a couple others from other classes. Rose distantly watched as Kim scrambled to get up and run towards Ondine with a teary smile on his face but something was wrong. Wrong, wrong , wrong. 

The resounding slap that came next confirmed her thoughts and with the way it snapped her out of said thoughts, you would think she had been the one who had been slapped. 

Everyone was still. All they could do was stand and stare at the sight of Kim’s cheek turning red from the harsh slap he had received from Ondine. Then it was like a dam burst and everyone started shouting at one another, some were even getting into the faces of those who had just arrived. It was awful and scary and Rose hated every second of it. Rose would bet things would have turned physical if it weren’t for Markov being present, it was well known he recorded whenever he felt like Max was in trouble. It had caused some issues with the school. Rose had never been more grateful for Markov’s presence than that moment as it provided a distraction for Rose to grab Juleka’s hand and run away. It was cowardly perhaps, maybe she should have stayed and defended Kim. Maybe she should have been a silent support for those trying to get answers from an angry Ondine and the rest of those who arrived with her. Maybe she should have asked why they were mad. 

There were so many ‘maybes’ that it was overwhelming and that was a big part of why she ran. Rose simply was overwhelmed and her brain felt fried with all the information they heard from the conference and the events that followed. She needed a safe space to digest it all and calm down. Luckily for her, the Liberty was parked close by and it was somewhere she wholeheartedly considered a safe space, plus she thought it would help Juleka, who’s rapid heartbeat she could feel beneath her fingers wrapped around the goth girl’s wrist. She only stopped her run once they were aboard and then she was finally able to stop and breathe. She had just caught her breath when she heard footsteps and noticed Luka making his way towards them. 

She sighed in relief at the sight of him, knowing he could provide comfort to Juleka and herself. She smiled at him but that smile quickly fell once she saw the look on his face. Luka was a chill guy through and through so it was pretty rare to see him mad. The boy marched towards them with purpose and it startled Rose so much that she instinctively took a step back. Then the yelling started and Rose couldn’t handle everything anymore. She felt bad for just letting Luka yell at Juleka but she could feel herself zoning out as she tended to do when she heard fighting. 

It was an old coping mechanism of hers.

At first the yelling was all she heard, then it dulled to an unpleasant buzzing. 

She hated the buzzing.

But she hated the sound of yelling and fighting more.

Her last coherent thought before she drifted too far was, ‘ Why was this happening? ’

Chapter Text

Everything had changed and Chloe was someone who hated change. Change scared her. She was five when the relationship between her mother and her father changed, next thing she knew, her mother had moved to New York and only came back to Paris when she deemed it worthwhile. She was seven when her dad changed, he was still affectionate with her, but he had become very paranoid about her safety and future. They had, by no means, been in need of money, what with the hotel and her father being mayor, but he seemed to believe they needed more. Chloe had never complained because she got anything and everything she wanted, but with her dad focusing more on the hotel and his work as mayor, he started spending less and less time with her. She was nine when she first got in trouble for bullying another student, it had been Marinette and Chloe had acted out of anger when she saw the girl and her parents when they got dropped off. She saw how Dupain-Cheng’s parents smiled at her, hugged her, kissed her, and walked off with their hands held together like some cheesy rom-com couple. It had made her heart hurt and she felt the indescribable urge to make the girl hurt. That was the day her father finally seemed involved in her life.

She was ten when she changed. If being bad is what caused her father to pay more attention to her then she decided she would be the worst she had ever been. At first she had felt bad for her behavior, but the more she didn’t get in trouble for it, the less bad she felt for her actions. There was still a small part of her that knew that what she was doing was wrong but she just did worse things in response to that small part. Every time her mother visited them, Chloe made sure to be her worst because she knew if she did, her mother had a higher chance of remembering her name. The first time her mother called her Clementine, her heart broke. It took Jean-Claude two days to cheer her up and convince her to come out of her room. Her dad hadn’t even noticed. In response to this she changed more, she decided she had to be every synonym of ‘bad’. 

Chloe had always known Adrien, and she had thought he would have had something to say about the changes to herself she made, but he never did. He made not one comment. She took it as a sign that the changes were for the better. Adrien had been the only friend that stayed by her side when she changed, so she thought the world of him. She thought he was her best friend. It hurt to think how wrong she was. He wasn’t her friend, maybe he never was, and it took him coming to her school for her to see it. He acted like he was her friend but then he would act as if they were merely acquaintances and the rest were his true friends. It took Sabrina quietly admitting she felt like Adrien was a bad friend because of how he played both sides, it was one of the few times that Sabrina had been honest with her feelings and it was probably one of the last given how Chloe had snapped at her and told her to leave her hotel. She hadn’t done it because she felt offended on her childhood best friend's behalf, no, she had done it because she could believe it.

Adrien had shown time and time again that he would stand with the majority, that he was willing to speak up or keep quiet if it meant the boat wasn’t rocked. It was as manipulative as it was unintentional, because Chloe knew Adrien and she knew his insecurities even if neither spoke about the subject. She saw it in the way he would agree with her on something but if Felix had a different opinion he would agree with him, and if both got mad at him for switching as easily as he did, he reasoned they both had good points. She used to accept that, but it was when they had had a talk about their classmates when they both thought they were alone in the locker room that changed her view on him. She had been complaining how she found it funny that everyone else could be disruptive in class and no one said anything, maybe Mlle Bustier would give a token scolding but nothing helpful. But if she was the one to disrupt it was taken like she had committed some great injustice. 

It had honestly, really annoyed her. Adrien had agreed and she had felt so validated as he spoke of how unfair it was. Then she had gone to the restroom and Adrien had agreed that they could walk out together but before she reached the bathroom, she realized she left her purse with him and she just knew she had to retouch her mascara and lipgloss. Obviously she couldn’t go to the bathroom without her purse, that was like a crime. So she had immediately turned around and sped walk back towards Adrien, it was when she had been about to call out to him to tell him to meet her halfway and hand her her purse so she wouldn't have to walk farther than she had to that she heard Lahiffe’s voice. He sounded angry and Adrien never did well with angry people. 

Chloe had been ready to jump out and protect him and tell Lahiffe to beat it but then she heard her name. Usually that made her more determined to confront a person, it was funny to see them squirm or turn angrier at her presence, but it was the fact that Adrien had said it that made her pause. “ Chloe….That’s just how Chloe is Nino. ”

“ Just because that’s how she is, doesn’t mean what she said is right dude .” Lahiffe had practically spat.

“ I know… ”

“ If you know then why did you agree with her? She was talking smack about all of us, man! Plus, she is the one who disrupts class most with complaints or dumb things, like the time she broke her nail! ” Chloe remembered what he was talking about and it wasn’t dumb, her nail had broken but it had also split and it had hurt a lot. She had just wanted to go to the nurse and of course Mlle Bustier allowed her to go, but she didn’t miss the eye rolls, scoffs, and snickers that followed her out the door. 

Adrien had done his little nervous laugh and she just knew he wasn’t going to defend her. “ It’s just easier to go along with her…otherwise she makes things more…difficult. It’s always been that way. ”

Her heart dropped.

Lahiffe had sighed and she saw him place a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “ Bro, I know she’s your friend and all, but you don’t have to put up with her. You got me! And the rest of the class! That’s definitely an upgrade .”

Adrien laughed again. “ Yeah dude, definitely an upgrade. ”

When she heard that she had been more than hurt and she had been prepared to confront him when Lahiffe had left, but then he had smiled at her and continued their conversation like he hadn’t just basically called her last year's spring collection behind her back. There was no look of guilt at all, no nervousness like he thought she might have heard, because he didn’t know she had. But it was the way he had carried on with no hesitation that made her pause, and sad to say, it was when she realized that Sabrina was right. Adrien was a bad friend.

He was a bad friend, and she also realized that he would never change. 

Chloe hated change, but for once she had wished for change.

Then she tried to become a better person and she knew it wouldn’t happen overnight but she was determined. She knew people noticed because her classmates gave her skeptical looks or faithless stares. Dupain-Cheng had been the only one who looked wary but not disbelieving. It was weird to realize that the biggest victim of her bullying believed she wanted to change and acknowledged it over her childhood best friend who didn’t acknowledge her change at all other than nodding his head when others commented on it. Or how he laughed and said, “ Chloe will be Chloe .” 

That was when her thoughts on change…er…changed. That and her dad's acknowledgement of her new behavior and the praise that followed. Adrien would never change, but Chloe was no longer afraid to change because Jean-Claude told her that change was growth and Chloe wanted to grow. It was painful to realize that in order to grow she had to break her longest friendship, but it was what she needed. Change was still scary, but sometimes it was needed for the betterment of someone's mental health and Chloe had just gotten so tired of how utterly awful she had felt over the years. She knew it was not an excuse for her behavior in the past, nor did it excuse her bullying towards others but her therapist said it was a step in the right direction that she acknowledged how she felt.

“Mlle Bourgeoise?” Oh yeah…she forgot she wasn’t alone.

“Yes?” She asked as she tore her eyes away from the famous original Ladybug and Chat Noir statue, the thing that had thrown her thoughts into a spiral.

“You were…suggesting that my statue needed…changes?” M Barnet said though it was more of a question. M Barnet or was it Baudu? Barbot? Whatever.

“Yes. I…I understand that this took a great amount of time, effort, and skill on your part, but given things that have happened and things that have come to light, this statue is way last season.” Chloe wrinkled her nose, it really was last season so to say and now that she knew certain things, she would even call it tacky with a capital T! 

“Last season?” The artist asked, whether it was from genuine curiosity or baffled fear, Chloe did not care. The statue needed to change so that Paris could change and if Paris itself could change…then maybe so could Chloe.

“Yes. Last season. Old news. Passé. Pick your synonym. The point is, this statue is due for an update and my daddy and I thought, with you being the original artist and all, that you would be up to the task.” Throughout her mini rant, Chloe focused on her nails, on the imaginary dirt under them that just absolutely required her attention rather than Balland? Whatever his name was, was frankly not hiding how intimidated he was and it was kind of annoying her. “Are we wrong Monsieur?”

“Yes!” He shouted, then looked horrified before he shouted out once more, “I mean no!”

Chloe just stood there and looked at the guy with poorly concealed annoyance. Look, yes she wanted to change and will change, but change happened gradually, not all at once. Well, that’s what the self-help books she hid in one of her many designer duffle bags said.

Thankfully Barbot? That one kept jumping to the front of her mind so she decided to just stick with it whether it was right or not. Anyway, Barbot took in a deep breath before he responded once more, “Sorry. What I meant is, yes, I agree with you about changing the statue and no that you and your father are not wrong. I am truly grateful for this opportunity.”

Chloe hummed in acknowledgment given the boy looked like he had more to say, plus he took out a ratty little notebook.

“Now change wise, do I have creative freedom to change how I see fit? Do you recommend starting over and building a completely new statue? And finally, given your father is paying for this, is there anything he or you would like me to incorporate in the changed design?” 

“Creative freedom is yours. Just don’t ruin it.” She punctuated her words by flipping her ponytail over her shoulder before she stared up at the statue once more. “I don’t know about the starting over, I mean, the pose Ladybug has is iconic and so many people take pictures doing the pose next to the statue. But if you want to start over? Start over.”

“As for incorporations…” Chloe closed her eyes and tried not to cry at the flashes of pink polka-dots, childish pigtails, and the scent of fresh baked bread that threatened to consume her. “Per-Perhaps adding little things, they could even be on the base…but maybe…Maybe something that would remind everyone of not just Ladybug but also the girl behind the mask.”

“Mlle Dupain-Cheng?”

The blond nearly snapped at the man for even uttering her surname. It somehow felt taboo in a way, which was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous. “Yes. A plate of macarons, her silly little ‘M’ purse, those stupid blossoms she always had on her designs, her shoes, a sketchbook!”

With each listed thing, Chloe’s voice rose until it broke on the last word and she could no longer keep her tears at bay. “Just something! She deserves to be remembered! Doesn’t she?”

Barbot didn’t say anything for a while and Chloe was grateful that he didn’t try to touch her or comfort her, she wouldn’t have been able to handle that. She didn’t deserve comforting. But his small but no less determined, “Yes, she does.” brought comfort all the same. 

Marc couldn’t really describe how he had been feeling since the ‘Sacrifice’, as the people had taken to calling it, among other things. He felt numb yet at the same time like he would burst into a never ending flow of grief big enough to engulf the Seine at any moment. He had tried his best not to fall into a pit of depression too big to climb out of but to him, it was inevitable. Marinette had always been this whirlwind of energy and charisma that he had always envied. But that envy never made him dislike or hate Marinette, quite the opposite in fact. He looked up to her, he loved her, not romantically but in a familial way. They had once been in the same class when they were younger and people used to mistake them as siblings or cousins. They had played into every time, and every time Marc would feel warm as he thought Marinette would be an amazing sister or cousin. Sometimes he even begged for it to be true, but then their moms became friends and then their dads and then it just clicked. 

Auntie Sabine and Uncle Tom had declared they were as good as family and he and Marinette became unofficially “official” cousins. It was a very sad day indeed when they found out they weren’t in the same class anymore because it had felt like it had been them against the world. Chloe picked on them both and nobody ever tried to help, so it truly felt like they only had each other. Oh he knew many people from Mlle Bustier’s class would argue and say something like, “We were always her friends!” but Marc knew better. They only became friends when Marinette stood up to Chloe, that was when the others deemed Marinette worthy of their attention and friendship and Marc burned with that knowledge. Though there were some who truly had been her friends but had been too scared to do anything about Chloe and though it angered him, he understood. Chloe was formidable and if this had been a game or comic or movie, she would be one of the Big Bads that took pleasure in other’s suffering. 

So no, he could not fault the few who hid from Chloe’s eye. Then a new Big Bad showed up and it all went downhill. Thankfully a small bit of the class stuck by Marinette’s side and didn’t hide from the danger, but a lot more believed the honeyed lies of the silver-tongued fox. They scolded, they yelled, they condemned without ever a thought to seek the truth themselves. This time it wasn’t fear that controlled their actions but willful blindness and greed. He understood fear and anxiety all too well, but even then he just could not fathom the way the class treated Marinette if it had indeed been done with fear like Marinette naively hoped for. Sure they hadn’t been close friends before the Chloe incident, but he thought they had gotten to know her more and know her well enough to know she would never call someone a liar without reason. Again, there was a small group that stood by her but even Marc knew it had not been enough for his tenderhearted cousin. Though he knew she wouldn’t want him to fester in anger, he couldn’t find it in himself to forgive the people in her class who didn’t see the truth about Lila Rossi. 

Marc was grateful that Nathaniel believed Marinette and in turn stayed her friend. His comic partner helped soothe the anger that broiled and burned within the writer. Just with an understanding, bitter smile, Marc felt his fury dim to a simmer. It was like the redhead understood his thoughts before he even had a chance to turn them into spoken words. Which is how they had become a part of the art club’s newest project of painting a mural on one of the walls of the school. Currently the two of them were taking a break and having a snack since they had been painting for a good while now. Though Marc was not the best artist out there, he wanted to be a part of this project as a way to remember and honor his cousin. He knew it wasn't necessary for him to do and he knew Marinette wouldn’t think less of him if he hadn’t participated but a part of him felt like he had to do this. 

“It’s coming out good.” Nathaniel mumbled as he stared at the wall the mural was being painted on.

Marc hummed as he also took in the sight of the wall, it was far from done but even just the sketch and little painting they had done he knew it was going to be beautiful. It was a painting of Ladybug fighting side by side with Joan d’Arc and it was shaping up to be breathtaking, but Marc’s favorite part was the reflections in armor, in water, in any reflective surface that showed Marinette in her signature outfit in place of Ladybug. To him it showed that people respected not only Ladybug and her effort to protect them but also Marinette the girl behind the famous spotted mask and all she did without said mask. “It is.”

“Did you hear there is a group considering starting a petition to change the school’s name?”

“Oh?” Marc asked as he truly had no idea about that but then again he wasn’t on social media as of late and the only people he had interacted with were his family, Nathaniel, and Aurore and Mireille. 

Nathaniel let out a breathy chuckle and nodded. “Yeah…they uh, they want to change it to Collège Dupain-Cheng or something similar like Collège Marinette .”

Marc couldn’t help but snort. “She would hate that.” 

Nathaniel chuckled again though it sounded pained, “Yeah…she would.”

Marc felt the familiar feeling of tears pooling in his eyes. “I miss her.”

“Me too.”

“I wish she was here.” Marc admitted as the tears now fell.

“Me too.”

“I wish I had done more!” He sobbed.

“Me too.”

“I want her back.” 

Nathaniel started sobbing too. “Me too. I wish I could bring her back, I wish there was something I could have done to help her more, and I wish I could take away the pain of missing her from not only you but everyone. But I don't have that power. I do, however, have the power to help in other ways and continue to remember her and I truly do think this mural is a step to that.”

“Even if she would be embarrassed by it like I know she would.” Nathaniel added with a wet chuckle. It made Marc chuckle in response. “So, we are going to dry our tears and pick up our paint brushes once more and after we finish…we are going to take this one day at a time. But we will do this at your pace so you tell me when you’re ready and I’ll be here.”

Marc smiled and did his best to wipe his tears away. “I’m ready.”

Nathaniel smiled back. “Me too.”

So with his numbness and anger gone, and his sadness being held at bay with a smile, Marc was ready to be filled with hope and determination. He still fiercely missed his cousin, but with Nathaniel at his side he was ready to remember her and show others how wonderful she was. Instead of feeling hopeless and downtrodden, he was prepared to take a page out of Marinette’s book and continue forward with all the hope, determination, and kindness he could. Marc was ready to be a protector, nothing big or grand like the protector of Paris like Ladybug, no he was content to be the protector of his friends and family…like Marinette.

Chapter Text

Death was inevitable. That was a stone cold, hard truth. One that Wu Fei knew well and had previously despised. Others feared Death, but Fei had hated it with an anger so vicious it scared her. It was like she skipped the first stage of grief altogether and just jumped straight into anger when her adopted father Shifu had passed. It had consumed her until she had met Marinette. That fateful meeting had been the catalyst of change she needed and the domino that started the chain of events that had occurred. At the end of it all, Fei had fully taken the responsibility that had been bestowed upon her and somehow found another family that wanted her. Wang was a wonderful pseudo great-uncle and Marinette had become something like a sister to her despite the distance between them. 

Everyday they exchanged messages or funny pictures, sometimes they even had time to video call which was always a treat Fei looked forward to. Sometimes both girls were too busy with their day to day lives that the most they could do was send each other a simple message or picture, but even being busy didn’t stop them from letting each other know they were thinking of each other. The number of care packages they sent each other was a wonderful constant in Fei’s life. Living with Wang brought a new routine to Fei’s life, one she cherished as she knew how chaotic one’s life could be without routine, and she knew she was someone who thrived on a routine. 

Therefore, she knew something was wrong when she had woken up and received no message from Marinette, not even a picture or meme. She tried to tell herself it was nothing and that the girl had probably been too busy but she just had this feeling in her gut that something was deeply wrong. Even with the time difference Marinette always messaged as she was as much a creature of habit as Fei was. Fei followed Paris news as well as numerous blogs that tracked Team Miraculous, though it had taken her some time, she had found out that Marinette was Ladybug. At first she had been hurt and confused as to why Marinette had never told her but over time she understood. It wasn’t that Marinette didn’t trust her, it was because her chosen sister loved her and was scared. 

That was something that Fei knew all about as she worried about Uncle Wang constantly because of her responsibilities but over time she saw no need to hide it from the man. Also, Mei Shi trusted the man and advised Fei to be open with him which had surprised her greatly considering that the Prodigious had always been something that was heavily guarded. Something about Uncle Wang’s aura made Mei Shi sure about his advice and of course she followed it. Plus, Mei Shi pointed out that she had already transformed in front of who she thought was a civilian without much thought so overall, she thought it was a fair decision. One that had worked out greatly for her, not that she doubted Mei Shi or anything. 

For a while, it felt like she was betraying her father whenever she felt happy with Uncle Wang and how he took care of her and it had definitely been a hurdle to overcome. For every smile and laugh her new Uncle brought out of her, it had always quickly been followed by a frown and tears. She was happy one moment and unbearably angry and heartbroken the next. It was like her emotions were on a constantly spinning wheel and her emotions flashed as fast as the wheel spun. It took Uncle Wang making them a picnic and taking her to her father’s gravesite for her to finally confess all her feelings through her sobbing. He helped her set up some flowers, incense, and the picnic. 

She cried as Uncle Wang spoke to her father and promised him he would care for and love Fei as she deserved and as her father wished. Then he gave her time to talk to her father as well as she ate her share of the picnic Uncle Wang made for them. . She spoke for what felt like forever, she laughed, she cried, she screamed and when she was finally done Uncle Wang simply helped her pick up the picnic and helped her clean her father’s grave since it was something she hadn’t done before. Then he took her to a crafting store and had her pick out a frame for a photo of her father to go in their home, whether that be her room or the main hall, he told her she could choose. Fei may have cried once more as she picked out a frame and little things she knew her father liked or found funny to decorate it with. 

In the end she decided to put her father’s picture in her room since she had a large window that she could see a beautiful sunrise and sunset through it. Her father had always been fond of sunrises and just as fond of sunsets. She even added a little incense dish that she placed in front of the picture. The whole process had brought her such relief and joy that she had given Uncle Wang the biggest hug she could manage and she could still recall his warm chuckles that followed. That moment had brought such warmth into her life and soul and it had continued for a long time until now. Now it felt like all that warmth was stolen from her by some sort of malevolent leech.

Her sister in all but blood was dead. Or that is what they told everyone, and despite the evidence Fei just could not believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. But standing there in the section of the church staring at the many photos and flowers that decorated the space, any hope she felt had shriveled. Auntie Sabine (or Auntie Xiu Mei as she also liked to be called) was weeping heavily not that anyone blamed her but Fei knew her grief was more than her daughter passing. It was also the fact there was no body to wash or dress or display in a coffin, nor was there a body to cremate if that was the chosen desire of the family. Though Fei knew from Uncle Wang that Auntie Sabine and Uncle Tom decided to cremate her signature pink flats that were found at the scene of the crime, some of her childhood toys and clothing and some recent though not many as they couldn’t bear to part with much of their daughter's things. 

Instead of a coffin there was a beautifully painted urn with plum blossoms that adorned it placed on a pedestal. No one in France probably knew just how big the Cheng and L ǐ (Auntie Sabine’s mother’s family) families were before but now they did and Fei could practically taste the surprise. The family section of the church was basically a family reunion and it would have been amusing if not for the circumstances. Despite the overwhelming sadness that hung in the air, Fei couldn’t help but appreciate how beautiful the ceremony was overall. Auntie Sabine wore a beautiful but plain white dress while Uncle Tom wore a smart black suit with a white lily pinned to his left breast pocket as well as a white armband placed on his left sleeve. The Cheng and L ǐ side of the family all wore different shades of blue which made the section Fei was in look like waves in a stormy sea. There weren’t many people on the Dupain side, just Gina and Roland if you didn’t count Uncle Tom, and the two of them matched their son with the black clothing. They also copied their son with the white lily decoration.

The way the two stood firm in the sea of blues made Fei think of those immovable rocks that temperamental waters hit and who through it all refused to break. The way Gina still wore a black leather jacket had Fei feel enormous respect for the lady. Despite the solemn time, the woman was still effortlessly herself and the thought made Fei think that it was something that Marinette had also respected and admired. Fei herself had the privilege of wearing white and she was so grateful to Uncle Tom and Auntie Sabine for letting her wear white since both of them knew how the girls saw each other. They had actually requested she wear white before she could even work up the courage to ask the question herself. It had shocked her so much that she had promptly burst into tears while thanking the couple. She cried more when they simply hugged her and told her they knew it was something that Marinette would want.

Memories are what carried her through the ceremony and before she knew it, it was time to move venues to the reception. The reception was happening at Le Grand Paris since the hotel offered to host it in their biggest ballroom even though it was only open to family and friends. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise since no one really knew how big the Cheng and L ǐ families were until the funeral and because no one really knew the extent of Marinette’s friend circles. It was of course a solemn affair, but with the smell of what could only be described as a feast of Chinese and French cuisine and the mild chatter filled with stories of Marinette and the overall feeling of community had Fei think that though a funeral was a cause of grief and sadness, there was something simply beautiful about it all.

Mei Shi provided Fei with a quiet comfort as she could feel his slight weight in her small purse, one given to her by Marinette, as she had gotten ready for the day, the purse had seemed like the right thing to wear. It also aided in keeping her small friend and mentor close, as she felt like a pocket wasn’t enough space for the little guardian. She could also feel the Renlings around her in spirit and that gave her a feeling of strength she hadn’t felt in a long time since the news hit her. It carried her through dreadful small talk, memories shared as freely as tears, and more dreadful; heart-felt talks. She powered through it all even if she didn’t know everyone. Some she knew well as Uncle Wang was very open and proud of his ward/pseudo niece. So she was well acquainted or even friends with some of the Chengs. And others, like the L ǐ family who she knew purely through stories from Uncle Wang, Auntie Sabine and Marinette. Then lastly she had the French side who, well, she only knew Uncle Tom and his parents and then there were Marinette’s friends who she felt like she knew as well as she could if she had lived with Marinette.

It was a weird, new feeling, to know someone without ever actually meeting them. Yet, she could not make herself approach any of those said friends. She didn’t know if she could manage that. It was overwhelming every time she met one of their eyes and it took everything in her not to burst into tears because she knew, she knew , how loved they made Marinette feel and how fiercely she loved them in return. It was a childish fear that made her stay away, she felt like if she got close to them and felt the love they feel for Marinette or if she felt the lingering love Marinette felt for them it would awaken a jealousy in her. She had of course felt jealousy before and in some cases it was intense and it always brought her a feeling of shame. This time, it felt like a dangerous beast awaiting to be let out. 

It was out of her love for Marinette she was staying away, or so she was trying to convince herself. She was just so convinced that if she talked to them she would say something so hurtful out of misplaced anger, jealousy and grief that Marinette’s friends would hate her forever. That was something she absolutely did not want. Though she admitted she was jealous of them, at least to herself, though she was sure Mei Shi suspected, that didn’t mean she wanted them to hate her. These people were important to Marinette and she knew that her sister had wanted them all to meet because she was convinced they would all be the best of friends. Fei had agreed at the time to meet them at some point since she and Marinette had been plotting a way to get Fei to visit come summer but now, now it felt…weird to even consider.

Introducing herself to Marinette’s friends and maybe even becoming friends with them felt so wrong on a monumental scale. Nothing about it would ever feel right because it would happen without Marinette. It felt sinful. Just thinking about it made her feel dirty in a way she could never put into words. On the other hand, by holding herself back she knew Marinette would be unhappy, but by following the wishes of ghosts had already misled her once. Fei didn’t want to make the same mistake. The Renlings and Mei Shi had already told her she was being silly as they were very in tune with her emotions and thoughts, the Renlings especially as they were always with her in a sort of spiritual way. No one could see them unless they wanted them too, though Fei could always see them, and apparently other beings like them could always see them and sense them. Apparently some  people who were sensitive to their kind of energy could sense them but not see them.

“Fei, sweetheart,” Fei was cut from her thoughts by the soft voice of Auntie Sabine. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fi-”

“Sweetie.” Auntie Sabine gently reprimanded her almost answer and it made Fei wince with a sheepish smile. 

“I’m doing better but still…not…not too great.” She answered truthfully. 

Her auntie simply gave her a sad smile but took her hand in hers and gave it a soft pat. “I understand. I just wanted to thank you for being here.”

“Auntie…” Fei muttered in awe. She knows today could not be easy on Sabine and yet here the woman stood tall with a smile for Fei. The strength the woman had always left Fei in awe. “Of course I’d be here…I-I couldn’t miss it.”

“You’re a good girl.” 

“You’re too kind Auntie.” 

“It’s not kindness if it’s true.”

Fei couldn’t help the small chuckle that left her. “Well maybe it can be bot-”

“I WANT HER BACK!” Their conversation was cut short by a very loud and childish voice that seemed to have caught the attention of everyone. It was a little girl who was stomping away from who Fei assumed was her mother. It took only a moment for Fei to recognize them both.

“Manon…please!” The woman, who Fei realized was Nadja Chamack, a local reporter and Auntie Sabine’s good friend, begged the little girl. A little girl who Fei knew to be Manon Chamack. Marinette had shared a lot of photos of the little girl or selfies of them both since Manon seemed to love filters. She was one of the kids that Marinette babysat a lot.

“NO! I DON’T WANT MARIE! OR HUGO! OR JEAN! OR WHOEVER ELSE YOU THINK SHOULD BABYSIT ME!” Manon yelled out, her face turning an impressive shade of red. “I WANT MARINETTE BACK!”

There was a collective gasp and following silence that had Fei feeling like she was at the edge of a cliff. 

“I just want Marinette…” Manon’s voice had gotten softer but her sobs had greatly increased in volume and it seemed to have affected everyone. There was not one dry eye at the little girl's confession because everyone felt the same. “I just want her back…”

“Oh baby…” Nadja choked out as she watched her daughter fall to her knees. Fei watched as Nada lowered herself to the ground next to her daughter and hugged her to her. It was at this point that Fei looked away so she could give the mother and daughter some privacy and was happy to see others do the same. Though not all attendants gave the two some privacy and Fei couldn’t help but scoff at the behavior. Pain was not supposed to be a spectacle. Though she knew this particular funeral was a spectacle despite Auntie Sabine and Uncle Tom’s best efforts, therefore everyone’s pain was part of said spectacle. 

Being so close to the source of some people’s attention had Fei feeling more than a little uncomfortable so she quietly excused herself from her Aunt so she could go grab something to drink as she found herself suddenly parched. It was as she was on her way towards the dining tables that she felt a pull from Mei Shi and the Renlings. Though Mei Shi’s was more physical whilst the Renlings’ was more spiritual. Fei huffed softly to herself but diligently followed the pull which thankfully was still in the direction of the dining tables. So perhaps she could still get a drink while she investigated whatever Mei Shi and the Renlings were pulling her towards. As she walked she casually looked around her to see if anything was out of the normal but nothing jumped out at her until she actually reached the table full of drinks that had been her original destination. 

There were two teens standing next to the water pitchers which had been her goal. She quickly identified the two as Luka Couffaine and Tsuguri Kagami as Marinette had shown her more than enough pictures and videos of her friends and these two featured most often. The two were talking in low voices to one another and Fei was confused as to what she was supposed to be seeing since they definitely were where she was being led to. It was right as she was about to reach them that she saw two small figures and instantly she felt this rush of energy. One was peeking out of the long sleeves of Kagami’s kimono and the other was peeking out of the inside of Luka’s now unbuttoned tux jacket. She didn’t know what they were but they looked and felt similar to Mei Shi and the Renlings. As soon as she made the connection she knew this is where she was being led.

With a deep breath in and a deep breath out, Fei squared her shoulders and approached the two with more confidence than she actually felt. “Hello. My name is Wu Fei. It is nice to officially meet you two.”

Chapter Text

Consciousness came slowly. It was like going through a list step by step and making sure to check off everything already done. The first thing Adrien was aware of was the soft hum of background chatter and the rhythmic beeping of a machine. It wasn’t anything he was familiar with and yet he couldn’t find it in himself to panic even though that definitely would have been his first reaction. The second thing he was aware of was how heavy his eyes felt, he immediately tried to open them but it felt like a herculean task. It was like trying to take apart something that had slightly dried glue on the pieces and you glued it wrong so now you had to carefully pry the pieces apart. The next thing he noticed was how dry his mouth felt and how bad it tasted. It immediately had him grimacing. He probably made some kind of noise of disgust because he heard a loud gasp and someone shouting before footsteps hurried toward him. 

“M Agreste? Can you hear me?”

It wasn’t a voice he recognized and that frightened Adrien a bit more than he would care to admit, he was Chat Noir for goodness sake! He wasn’t scared of anything! But…he could not help how his body tensed in reaction to not knowing where he was nor how he got there. Most concerning was how he felt disconnected from his body. 

“M Agreste. I understand this is a scary moment for you but I need you to remain calm. You are in the hospital.” The same voice from before said. The voice sounded female and it was calm and gentle. It made Adrien’s body react before he could even think it through. He relaxed as best he could whilst trying to open his eyes. Finally, after what felt like several hours, he was able to pry his eyes open. At first everything was blurry which is to be expected but it took more time than he thought it would for his eyes to focus. The first thing he noticed was the nurse hovering over him and while he expected it, it still made him flinch, an action that felt harder to do than it should. It also was followed by this sharp pain that had him gasping. 

“My name is Nurse Fontaine. I am sorry if I shocked you, but you can’t make any subtle movements, M Agreste. I’m sure you’re in pain but just relax as you are due for your next dose of morphine. Then I would be happy to bring your doctor and some police officers here as I’m sure you have questions.” The nurse informed him before she left him alone with his thoughts. She hadn’t even waited till he said anything. Though, to be fair, he had no idea what he would have said given he just felt very confused. He couldn’t remember anything happening that would have landed him in the hospital and trying to do so was giving him a headache. The only thing he was certain of was the fact whatever happened was important and that it was bad. I mean, it had to be bad right? It ended up with him in the hospital.

Something did stick out to him though in the little that Nurse Fontaine had said. She had mentioned the police which basically confirmed that whatever happened to him had been bad. His memory was still fuzzy but he did vaguely remember a bright red light and then nothing. Could someone have attacked him? His memory gave him a brief flash of Natalie and his father so perhaps it was an attack on the mansion. Wait…his father ! And Natalie! Were they okay? Where were they? If they had been in the attack like his memory was telling him then why weren’t his father and him placed in the same room? Surely his father would demand he be put in the same room as his son. Perhaps only he had been caught in whatever went down but that still didn’t explain the absence of his father. 

Adrien stewed in that thought, of course his father would be with him in either scenario…unless…unless Adrien was the only one to survive. Oh god…oh god no. Even just the thought of that had him immediately gagging but nothing came up which made sense given he had nothing in his stomach to give. But his body didn't seem to care and kept trying to dispel whatever it could. It hurt. Which made sense since his whole body was in pain but the gagging made it ten times worse with the way his muscles would clench and push. 

“Oh my!” The voice of Nurse Fontaine suddenly filled the room and Adrien felt her hands on him. The gentleness in which she handled him gave him brief but vivid flashes of his mother and it seemed to help calm him. Maybe it was the glimpses of the nurse's blonde hair, or maybe it was the way she wiped the tears he hadn't even noticed were there with a handkerchief that reminded him of his mother. Whatever it was though he was grateful because it helped calm him and stop his gagging which had felt like torture in that moment.

“Better?” Nurse Fontaine asked after his breathing had slowed. 

He couldn’t find his voice currently so he settled for a nod in response which seemed good enough for Nurse Fontaine who gave him a small smile in return and a brief nod. “I am glad. Now, as I mentioned before, you are due for your next dose of morphine very soon, which I am sure you are happy about. Before that, however, I have some people here who would like to speak with you if you are up for it?”

“I believe I am up to it.” Adrien rasped diplomatically. Even if he felt less than…perfect, his father had drilled into him the necessity of being polite and never showing weakness. He remembered vividly the week he had a bad head cold when he was eleven and his father still made him model. He had gotten through the whole week without anyone noticing his illness and it was one the few times that his father had sincerely complimented him and told him he was proud. He had even smiled at him! It had filled him with so much love, relief, and determination to continue to make his father proud. 

“Oh dear. Let’s get you some water and ice chips before they come in.” Nurse Fontaine said before she was out the door again and back shortly. Someone must have had some water and ice chips ready for her to be back in the short amount of time she had. She helped him sit up as comfortably as she could and also assisted in helping him drink the water and eat some ice chips. He hated feeling so helpless and weak and yet he was grateful to Nurse Fontaine. Her kindness reminded him of Marintette, his Lady! Oh god…his Lady! She had been there too! Was she okay? Was she also in the hospital bed ridden? Was she-? No…No, he couldn’t think like that. Sure they had managed to capture her and everything but Ladybug was strong and resilient. If anyone could have gotten out of whatever injured him it would be her. 

Mindlessly he ate the rest of the ice chips as he let himself wonder about his Lady and if their plan worked. He couldn’t remember everything but he did know they had managed to take her earrings, but anything beyond that was foggy. It was as he was trying to remember that, that the aforementioned police and doctor arrived in his room with a polite knock on his door by the doctor. 

“Good afternoon, Mister Agreste. I am Doctor Alain Boucher. I am the one in charge of your care along with your daytime nurse, Nurse Fontaine and your nighttime nurse, Nurse Bonnaire who is not present at the moment. First of all, I would like to start with a small checkup on you and if you are feeling up to it, these nice gentlemen have some questions for you.” The doctor’s tone was nice yet firm that Adrien didn’t even think of trying to interrupt. He merely nodded and let the doctor do what he needed despite the fact Adrien was filled to the brim with questions. 

“You seem to be doing well considering the circumstances. You have a long road to recovery Mister Agreste but we shall get into that tomorrow as after your discussion with these gentlemen I know you will be tired. You have had much excitement for the day. I will remain in the room until the discussion has ended considering your status as a minor.” Dr. Boucher announced which of course left Adrien with more questions, but two jumped out of his mouth before he could stop them. They were the ones that seemed to bother him the most.

“What do you mean recovery? What’s wrong with me?”

The room became quiet at his questions. Too quiet. Worryingly quiet.

“He deserves to know.” One of the officers said, but it did not sound kind.

“Be that as it may, he has just woken today and he is a minor.” Nurse Fontaine responded.

“They are correct nonetheless.” Dr. Boucher said. “Mister Agreste, there is no way to tell this without it being a shock to you. If at any point the information is overwhelming and affects your health the questioning will be held off.”

No one argued.

Dr. Boucher nodded once at the silence before he continued, “You have suffered from five clean breaks. Two in your left forearm, one in each of your legs, and one rib. Because of the rib your right lung was punctured, but the puncture, luckily, was not big. It was in fact, quite minimal. Your right shoulder was dislocated. You acquired many contusions and lacerations. The deeper lacerations have already been stitched and seem to be healing well. Lastly…you suffered third degree burns which were severe but luckily did not venture towards fourth degree territory.” 

He felt numb all over again. How was he injured so bad? 

“A-And my father and Natalie?” He was almost too afraid to ask but he needed to know. They were his only family. They needed to be okay! They just had too!

He did not miss the way Dr. Boucher’s jaw clenched.

“Please. I-I need to know. A-Are they alive? Please tell me they’re alive.” He begged. 

“They are alive”

Adrien sighed in relief but noticed how long Dr. Boucher paused, “...But?”

“But they have also suffered greatly. I don’t wish to distress you Mister Agreste…”

“Please just…I need to know. What…what does their recovery look like? They will recover right?”

“They will. Neither have awoken yet but rest assured they will. Their recovery will likely be longer than yours. I truly do not want to burden you with the knowledge but the police will share it regardless because they want answers so it falls on me to give the news in a better…lighting.” Dr. Boucher didn’t seem too happy with the police officers in that moment but he also looked resigned to the whole situation. “Let’s start with Madame Sancoeur. She, much like yourself, suffered from burns but most of hers were fourth degree and located on both arms…this led to the necessary decision of amputation.”

…What?

“Her left arm was amputated to her elbow whilst the right was up to the shoulder. Her right ankle is broken and she suffered many contusions and lacerations as well. The other burns were third degree and treatable.”

Amputations…Of course Adrien knew they happened but it was one thing to know due to history and media and another to know about it because it happened to someone he considered family. Oh god Nathalie! What happened? How was this the cause? At the mention of the burns Adrien got a flash of a bright, nearly blinding red light and the overwhelming feeling of heat that climbed and climbed until the memory left him. He had to focus, he could think about all that later. He needed to know how his father was.

“Are you okay to continue? There is no shame in needing a breather.”

Adrien didn’t need a breather even if his stomach was in knots and his heart was racing. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm it down because he knew it was the reason Dr. Boucher stopped explaining and Adrien needed the opposite of that. He was Chat Noir! He could face anything! “I’m fine, Doctor. Please continue.” 

Despite the fact that he looked hesitant to continue, Dr. Boucher carried on. “Your father also suffers from some third degree burns but far less than yourself and Madame Sancoeur. His right leg is broken in three different places and his left ankle is sprained. His right shoulder was shattered and impaled by fallen debris but we are confident in his recovery. Lastly…we’re not sure how it occurred, but your father’s vocal cords were severely damaged, to the point that we had to perform a laryngectomy, which is the removal of the larynx also known as the voice box.”

“His…his vocal cords? What does that-Does that mean he can’t speak? Like ever?” Adrien wheezed out. 

“Not necessarily. There are options he has available once he awakens and goes through recovery, such as something he can learn that we call Esophagael speech. There are also prosthetics and devices he can use called the Voice prosthesis or Electrolarynx. With all of that he can also, and so can you, learn sign language. I recommend learning either way along with whatever route of recovery he chooses.”

“He…” Try as hard as he might, nothing could stop the tears from falling. “W-Will I be notified when he wakes up? Please! I need to be! I need my dad!”

“Mister Agreste. Adrien. Please take a deep breath. I promise you will be notified. Now. I believe this was enough excitement for you today and that these officers will have to come back tomorrow. You are not up to more questions or conversation. Rest.” Dr. Boucher stated before he gave Adrien a short nod before he simply looked at the officers in the room until they started to leave. With one more nod and a brief explanation of what button to push for assistance and where the TV remote was located, Dr.Boucher and Nurse Fontaine left Adrien to his thoughts. 

He nearly pushed the assistance button right away as he had far more questions that he demanded the answers to but his body felt extremely weekend tired which was ridiculous considering he woke from a coma. Even though he fought it, Adrien found himself drifting off to sleep and unlike the coma, this sleep was not dreamless. 

He didn’t know how long he slept but he knew it had to be past some of his pain medication dosages considering how dark the sky outside was and how bright the lights of all of the machines surrounding him were. Though, even just waking up and considering how dark it was, Adrien did not fail to notice the presence of at least four people. When they noticed he was indeed awake, they all stiffened and stalked toward him. Maybe the way they approached him made him feel more than a little intimidated and made him tense more than he would have liked but once they got closer he recognized them as his teammates and relaxed. Obviously they were here to check on their good friend Chat Noir and he could finally get answers about what happened to Mari-His Lady and where she was. He didn’t even pause to think of how they knew his identity or if they even did. 

“Guys! I’m so happy to see you! What-” 

“Silence.” An aggressive hiss from Donryu cut him off. Normally he would have laughed off her hiss like he had done in the past when they fought akumas together and she tried to give him fighting advice. HA! Him! Chat Noir! But he had never seen Donryu this angry and never had he had that amount of anger focused on him. 

He ignored the odd, faint flash of an image of Marin - Bugaboo’s face clouded in absolute fury in a shout that briefly seemed to stop time and his heart. He had never seen her like that so he had no idea why the image jumped out, nor why it made his burns ache . Of course, if he wasn’t in pain and his mind didn’t feel sluggish he probably would have tried to brush off Donryu’s anger and make a joke of it but as it was, all he did was listen. 

“There is no word to describe the amount of anger and disgust I, and my teammates feel towards you.” Donryu started after a moment of tense silence.

“Don’t you mean ou-” Adrien meekly tried to correct before he was cut off once more. He huffed in annoyance, he hated being interrupted. 

“I know exactly what I meant you pathetic worm!” The amount of venom in that answer had Adrien trying to shrink back into his bed more than he already was. He watched almost transfixed as Viperion placed a hand on Donryu’s shoulder and how it seemed to immediately calm her. She took a deep breath before she continued, “We came here for answers and closure.”

When it looked like he was about to say something, which to be fair, he was, Bee-Witch spoke up. “You will speak when asked.”

“How…how could you betray us like this? How could you betray M-Ladybug? Paris!? How!?” Noc-Turtle cried out. It spooked Adrien as he hadn’t even noticed the hero. He thought it had only been Viperion, Donryu, Bee-Witch, and Fox-Tail, but he should have known Noc-Turtle was there as well. He and Fox-Tail were always together.

“Noc…” Fox-Tail said gently.

“No! Don’t ‘Noc’ me! We all saw the video! We saw him stand with those-those monsters! And now, now she’s gone! She’s gone!” Then the turtle themed hero broke down in sobs as Fox-Tail pulled the shorter boy into his arms. 

“She..?” Adrien questioned quietly even though he felt like he knew the answer and chose to continue being in denial.

“Don’t act innocent! Don’t act like you don’t know! Marinette-Ladybug! She’s gone…she’s gone and it’s you and those monster’s fault. Why? Why?” Noc-Turtle’s fury returned like a phoenix from the ashes only to quickly dither into smoke and ash once more. All the energy seemed to leave him like a marionette being cut from its strings. 

Gone? No. No, she couldn’t be! And it couldn’t be his fault! Noc-Turtle was talking nonsense. Of course he was. 

Then why didn’t it feel like nonsense? 

Why was dread creeping in and choking him?

Then it hit him all at once like a bad migraine. All these memories slammed into him and he had no choice but to remember what happened. The trap. Discovering that His Lady was actually Marinette. Her fighting against her bonds. The slap. Nathalie ripping the earrings out because Marinette was being so stubborn! His father finally had the ring and earrings in his hands. The hope and palpable relief in the room that finally his family would be complete because they would have his mother back. Then the scream. It was primal. It was loud. It was terrifying. Then he saw red, literally, and a searing, burning pain encompassed him and next thing he knew he was waking up in the hospital.

“You remember.” It wasn’t a question. Viperion stated it like it was the opening a lawyer needed to catch his prey in his well woven web and striking. “Good. Then explain what the hell you were thinking and what the hell happened to Marinette.”

Atrocitus got the familiar feeling of the birth of a new Red Lantern and had enlisted Dex-Starr to be there with him once he summoned the newest recruit to Ysmault so they could recoup after being reborn. He knew they would need the energy of their Central Power Battery and the other Red Lanterns as all new recruits came to him as more than a little feral. At first he had enjoyed it and hadn’t sought to help them in any way. He liked their mindlessness as it had aided him in his quests as they were devoted to him, but as time passed he became bored with it. Dex-Starr, despite being a feline, had seemed to retain his mind but of course his rage led him. Atrocitus had been confused by it but realized that when Dex-Starr came to him, he was the first of his newest recruits that he actually interacted with and spoke with.

It took time, but now all his recruits held some semblance of consciousness and independent thought but now he was revered as a God by them and he found that it entertained him. He at least was able to hold conversations now which pleased him. It didn’t take long for Atrocitus to spot their newest recruit as she stood out from the others. For one, her age startled him, she was just a youngling and he tried to fight off memories of Trakka and Limmy but couldn’t. Then there was her appearance, he had never seen such an odd Red Lantern uniform. The black of the suit was covered in red spots while the red of the suit was covered in black spots.Her hair was reminiscent of Bleez’s wing on her cowl but it was her natural hair in twin tails that seemed to twist and defy gravity. She looked almost insect-like which puzzled Atrocitus as he could sense she had hailed from Earth.

 Why was such a young one filled with such rage that she became a Red Lantern? He would find out in time he knew.

Dex-Starr greeted the girl who barely acknowledged him but he dutifully led her towards Atrocitus who could not help the way his tone softened at the sight of the child. “What is your name Young Red One?” 

“Dame…Dame Fènnù.” The young one growled out.

“Welcome, Dame Fènnù, to the Red Lantern Corps.”