Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The early afternoon sun was fair and brightly radiant; the evidence of the rays glistening on the surface of the river’s water.

For Luka, that’s one of the few best conditions for a perfect day.  And like today, it was one of the typical perfect days on a weekend where he could lounge on the deck of the Liberty and relax with the comforts of his guitar.  Inspiration gathered from the notes that surrounded Parisian life. The notes of citizens strolling along the sidewalks, Parisians playing in the park, and birds flying along the docks chirping.

It was the perfect atmosphere of serenity.  This was what Luka thrived for when creating music.

Letting his mind fade and focus on the surrounding noise, he let out a soft hum in content as he let his head turn the noise into musical notes.  His fingers plucked and strummed along the nickel-plated guitar strings as the notes of the city became audible tunes. The soothing music being carried along with the summer breeze blowing and the small waves of the Seine.

This was home for Luka.  A space of calm and silence. 

“Akuma alert.  Find the nearest shelter.”

Luka fumbled the current rift of notes caused by the disruption of the alert system.  He sighed as the potential of a relaxing day was now gone thanks to Hawkmoth, grumbling and cursing the man for the loss of a calming day.

His playing came to a halt, the young musician looked out towards the direction of the first sirens blaring and groaning as the echoing of the other sections came to life. As the warning system followed it’s usual rhythm, one particular section began speeding in tempo. For Luka, it easily determined the akuma’s whereabouts, signaling that the person akumatized was close by within the arrondissement.

It wasn’t too often that an akuma was created near the Seine, but with a world tormented by corrupted butterflies, it was only a matter of time.

As the sirens hadn’t deceased, it wasn’t long before Luka heard the sound of footsteps ascending from the lower cabin area.  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his mother appear around the corner with his sister following close behind, heading towards the back of the boat where he was located.

His mother continued to pass his spot on the lawn chair and towards the railing, overlooking the direction of the faster-paced sirens.

“An akuma? And this close,” she stated.

Luka shrugged, even though he knew she couldn’t see as he responded, “Seems like it.  What do you want to do?”

Anarka continued to gaze out towards the city where the sirens were blaring loudest, quiet, brows straight and focused as she stared in thought.  From his peripheral, he watched Juleka move beside him waiting for their mother’s response.

After seconds had gone by without their mother moving an inch or speaking, Juleka called out to her mother in hopes to retrieve a response.

“Mom?”

Juleka’s tone was strong and clear, no longer the shy girl where her voice was a mere mumble.  It always brought a smile to Luka when he heard his sister speak in full. Made him proud knowing that Juleka had grown out of the shy shell of hers during the past three years.  Gone the shy thirteen-year-old and born the proud and outspoken sixteen-year-old. He never doubted she wouldn’t grow, it was merely about the moment of when.

Luka’s smile faded when his mother’s voice finally spoke up and brought him back to the current situation.

“We should move from port ‘nd settle out near the other side o’ve the river.  Just fer precaution.” Turning to her children, “Alright, let’s get goin’.” 

As Anarka headed over to the furthest side of the boat, Luka reached for his guitar case to set his instrument inside, closing the lid and snapping the locks in place.  Standing from his spot on the lawn chair, he followed Juleka on the other side of the boat and made their way towards the middle front area in case their mother called for assistance.

Fully calm and relaxed, it’s become a common occurrence in their life as they walked along the ship.  Ignoring the sirens in the background, tuning them out as white noise, Luka and Juleka fell into a conversation when a loud explosion erupted, followed by a medium earthquake-like shake to vibrate through their section of the arrondissement. 

Juleka screamed as the vibrations created large, erratic waves through the river; rocking harshly against the boat and knocking the two teens off their feet to the floor of the boat.

Luka felt the pain as his head hit the wooden floorboards, his guitar case slipping from his fingers as the boat continued to sway side to side.  His body sliding back and forth, slamming into random objects as the boat continued swaying. From his blurring vision of hitting his head, he watched his sister endure the same treatment of being harshly pushed against the boat in times of the waves rocking their home.

Launching himself towards Juleka, he latched his left arm around her waist and pulled her against him as he latched his right hand to the nearest handlebar and gripped with all his might.  He could feel Juleka grip him tightly as they waited out the rocking of the boat.

Once the swaying softened to something bearable, Luka and Juleka pushed themselves up and rushed over towards the center of the boat in search of their mother.  For Luka, he regretted the action as his head pulsed and felt lightheaded from the fall. Taking a deep breath, he pushed back the pain as he and his sister called out to their mother.

“I’m alright, children.”

The siblings looked over towards the helm and found their mother safely clutching the metal staircase.

Anarka pushed herself up and rushed the rest of the way up to the helm to switch on the radio, clicking a button to allow the feed to exit through the speakers surrounding the boat.  Moving the dial around, it only took a few seconds before locating the local news station. With quietness hovering their home, the Couffaines listened closely and awaited any information to explain the cause of the situation that just took place.

They heard some static before an all familiar voice spoke through the speakers.

“This is Nadja Chamack and we’re live in the eleventh arrondissement.  The area is heavily scattered and surrounded by thick dust, and unsure what the akuma truly looks like, but we believe the victim to be construction related.  From the short glimpse we managed to get before the dust thickened, we can say for certain that the akuma is massive in size. We managed to get a short response from Ladybug and she stated the akuma is constructed from different construction vehicles and viewed as dangerous.  It’s heavily advised that citizens take caution and evacuate the area if possible. We can only hope Ladybug and Chat Noir can manage the situation. Until we can confirm the situation over, please be safe.”

Another round of static took over as Nadja’s voice cut out, Anarka shutting the radio off and turning to her children.

“Let’s hurry before another round o’ve shakin’ occurs.  Let’s move.”

Giving their mother a nod, Luka and Juleka rushed to the side of the boat to untie the ropes to the dock.  Once they were safely released, Luka shouted the all-clear to his mother.

Within seconds, they heard the boat roared to life as the motor reeved and began reversing away from the docks.  It didn’t take long for them to reach the center of the river and closer to the opposite side.

Once Anarka felt they were in a safe location, she turned off the motor and walked back to her children.  Together they looked out across the Seine towards the area of the akuma.  

It wasn’t difficult to catch the sounds of destruction taking place in the distance nor the visible dust hovering in the air.  To the Couffaines, they couldn’t remember the last time they had a seemingly destructive akuma. Whatever the akuma wanted, they hoped the heroes would handle it quickly and safely.

Another rumble echoed in the area and all three gasped in shock as they watched three buildings crumble, the glass of the windows crackling, others shattering.  The cracks in the stone buildings crawled up to the top until all the buildings collapsed one after the other from their weakened state.

Being close to the action, they watched as half of the buildings fell into other buildings causing a few to snap and pieces of foundation to crumble.  Whoever this akuma was, was clearly very angry. And as they thought it couldn’t get worse, they watched in horror as quakes shook through the area again, swaying the boat from the disrupted waves.

Looking up as they held on tightly to the boat, they watched as the quake grew and moved, collapsing buildings in their wake.  A roar that sounded eerie and whined like one would hear in mechanical machinery. It brought a shiver to Luka and Juleka’s spine, and they were one to enjoy horror.

Though perhaps that was the difference.  Fake versus reality. A reality where real innocent people were most likely dead who lived in those buildings unable to have a chance to evacuate.  The same reality where Miraculous Ladybug could or possibly could bring back all or just some of the lives lost. Luka wondered how someone in that position could remain so focused...or could they.

“All those people.”

Luka heard Juleka whisper.  He looked down on her to find her gazing in the direction of the fallen buildings in shock and horror, her left hand covering her mouth.  

In a comforting manner, Luka placed his hands on his sister’s shoulders, giving them a light squeeze.

“Everything will be alright, Jules.  Ladybug and Chat Noir will fix this.”

“What if they can’t?”

“They will.  Those two always find a solution.”

‘Will they?’   He wasn’t honestly sure.  Luka didn’t even know how long it’s been since the start of the sirens.  Minutes? An hour now?

An uncomfortable tingle jolted through his body as he continued to stare out towards the destruction.  Something felt off and wrong. For some reason he felt like something bad was going to happen and he wasn’t prepared for it.  He wished he had Sass with him and the ability to have a second chance available.  

Another couple of buildings collapsed in the area making Luka’s nerves rise further.  ‘Something bad is going to happen.’

The collapsing buildings pushed the surrounding clouds of dust towards the Seine river where Luka and his family resided.  All watched as the river and surrounding side of the opposite part of the city began to be coated in a mountain of dust floating in the air.

Luka, Juleka, and Anarke covered their mouths as the gust of dust pushed past them and continued on behind them.  Visibility becoming nonexistent. The young musician was only able to see a few feet in front of him. Thankfully, he was glad to make out the shapes of his sister and mother beside him.  He wouldn’t know what he’d do if anything happened to his family. 

The family coughed from the dust particles in the air, holding their arm over their mouths in hopes to prevent another inhale of the surrounding dust.  If they were lucky, the river water would help clear some of the hovering dirt.

“What do you think is preventing Ladybug and Chat Noir from defeating the akuma? Surely, they would have won by now?” Juleka called close beside Luka.

It was true in some aspects.  With three years passed since the appearance of Ladybug and Chat Noir, their skills in defeating akumas typically take a few minutes at most. Unless the akuma’s difficulty was at a point of requiring assistance.

“Judging by the mountain of dirt coating the majority of the surrounding arrondissements, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re having as much difficulty maneuvering around.  If we’re having difficulty seeing, it must be thicker and blinding where they are in the midst of the battle,” replied Luka. 

‘What if they need help and can’t find their way out?’

The same urging tingle ran through his spine and nerves as the possibility of the heroes needing help penetrated his thoughts.  Even if it wasn’t him, he had the inkling feeling that they needed someone.

“Looks like some o’ve the dust ‘round the boat is lightin’ up, thankfully,” Anarka’s voice came beside him.  The captain moved closer to her children as they kept their focus on the foreboding destruction of the entire arrondissement.  “I too hope those children are okay.”

Luka smirks and looks over at his mother, “What makes you think they’re children?  They could be ancient beings that appear youthful.”

Anarka gave him a raised brow and challenging look, “I may be gettin’ old, but I ain’t daft boyo.”

They chuckled, only for another rumble to break out along the area, breaking the light-hearted moment.

They heard a deafening crackle among the thick mist of smoke and dust.  Luka glanced heavily in the direction of the noise and squinted in hopes to find any evidence of what was taking place amongst the battle.

A sudden small size chuck on brick slammed against the side of the main bridge, startling Luka and the others in a jolt.  Preparing to step closer, the young man jumped back as a few other various sized building pieces started hailing against the boat and into the water.

All three Couffaines looked up to the sky under one of the nearest coverings for shelter watching pieces of debris tumbling down into the river and boat.  But what soon caught the family’s attention were the larger chunks of debris tumbling towards the water and a body made of red. 

“Ladybug?!” gasphed Juleka.

They watched in shock as the large chunks of building parts and Ladybug fell back first into the murky depths of the Seine river a few feet from the boat.  Waves thrashed erratically from the disturbance of the impact and sucking in the intruding objects below the surface. Water contaminated by pollution and debris.

“Is she injured?!” Juleka fretted, rushing to the side of the boat.

Not thinking nor caring about his own safety, Luka sprinted to the side of the boat, using the railing for lift and launching himself into the river, diving below the surface in an attempt to help Ladybug. The very idea of having a fellow hero colleague, even though he himself was temporary, falling to their fate by drowning did not sit well with him.  If this was the way of assisting his heroine leader, even in civilian form, then he’ll take what fate placed for him.

The muffling of his mother and sister shouting his name blurred once he felt the water take over him.  He’s sure he’ll get an earful from his mother about his safety, but that was the least of his worries.

Pushing through the water, Luka swerved along the small bits of scattered debris floating down beneath.  With everything caused by the battle and the water murkier due to the dust, panic started to creep in whether he’d be able to locate Ladybug.  He only had so much air within his lungs to stay underwater to search.

With a determination formed out of fear and panic, Luka dove deeper where the water, although darker due to depth, it was slightly clearer with a lack of dust and debris.  And what caught his attention was a darker tone in the green water. A darker green cloud that hovered along the stilling water.

Luka’s eyes expanded as there was only one reason for a darker green color from his youth out on the water with his mother.  Blood.

Pushing out another breath of air through his nose, Luka dove in the direction of the path of blood.  Through three pushes, the young man finally caught the glimpse of a red light blink and dove towards that direction to finally come face to face with the stilled body of Ladybug.

He could slightly make out what appeared to be a gash along the side of her body near the ribcage, the other on the side of her head, judged by the blood cloud seeping from the area.

Reaching out to grab the heroine, Luka wrapped an arm around her waist and swam towards the surface in frantic desperation.  Finding her motionless beneath the depths brought on the fear that Luka was certain he never thought he’d have to do in a situation like this.

When he finally broke the surface, he gasped as he sucked in the air, the pain of holding his breath for so long finally hitting his lungs full force.  Ignoring the pain, Luka held the heroine close, her head falling back against his shoulder. That didn’t sit well with him which only propelled him to move faster.

Coming next to the boat, Anarka and Juleka reached out over the side of the boat while Luka handed them Ladybug’s unconscious body.  While the women worked together to bring the heroine on board, Luka worked on getting aboard himself. Gripping the side of the railing, he pulled himself up and on deck.

Swiping away his damp hair from his face, Luka rushed over towards the others as his mother and sister laid Ladybug on the deck.  He watched his mother place her fingers against the juggler of her neck to confirm his fear when she stated there was no pulse.  

Moving his sister aside, he dropped to his knees and started the process of CPR on the young heroine of Paris.  Placing his right hand above his left, Luka placed his palm flat against the center of her chest and began pumping in the rhythm he learned long ago. 

“Juleka, go grab two towels quickly,” he heard his mother urged.

Footsteps retreated as he continued to focus on the chest compressions, determined to pump out the water that resided in her lungs.

‘...27, 28, 29, 30’

Stopping the compressions, Luka moved over to her face to begin the breathing portion of the procedure.  A glimpse of her blue-tinted lips and paleness of skin brought goosebumps. He’s never seen the heroine look so vulnerable.

Pinching her nose and opening her mouth, he took a large inhale of air and closed his mouth over Ladybug’s and exhaled the lung full air into her body.  The young man repeated the process two more times and finished the third exhale when Juleka returned with the towels.

Beep.

Luka froze at the sound, the beep familiar to the young musician.  Worried about unwanted eyes, even if they were still coated by surrounding dust, he wasn’t taking any chances.  

Beep.

So, without a word, he lifted the heroine into his arms, carrying her body bridal style, and rushed through the greenhouse section to the entrance leading down to the living space below; shouting for his mother and sister to follow.

Beep.

Reaching the main living room area, Luka ran over to the center rug and gently laid Ladybug’s body down.  The very idea of finding out Ladybug’s identity like this hurt, he knew well that the heroine was adamant to keeping herself unknown for safety reasons.  Not just for hers, but for all her loved ones. Though, would she excuse this due to the dire situation?

“Luka!”

He heard his sister enter the living quarters with their mother right behind. 

“What the hell ar-”

The erratic beeping echoed through the living room cutting Juleka off from her confused shouting.  All three Couffaines glanced at Ladybug noticing the chaotic flashing of her earrings before the entire room engulfed in a pinkish glow.  Luka used his arms to shield his eyes until the glow faded away. The sound of a small whimper filling the space along with a thump.

Lowering his arms, he could swear his soul left his body and the breath escaped him all at once.

‘No. No no no no! No her. Not my melody!’

“Marinette,” Juleka whispered in disbelief behind him.

Everything blurred and all that stood in focus was the woman that was the light of his life.  The main inspiration to his creative spark. An untamed star that always glittered bright no matter the circumstances.

And today was not the day for the brightest star to burn.

In fear and desperation, if fate brought Marinette to him in this dire moment, then Luka would follow fate and bring his melody back.  No matter what.

Kneeling beside her, Luka moved in position and placed his palms in proper stance and began pumping against her chest.  Pushing a little harder than previously, he continued the rhythm and counted the amount that was taught during the CPR training.

“...25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30.”  Finishing the compressions, he moved to her mouth and repeated the breathing section, inhaling a large lung full of air before opening her mouth and exhaling.  Transferring his air into Marinette’s water-filled lungs, repeating the process two more times.

Seeing no reaction or movement, Luka went back to the chest compressions. Midway through, the sound of a muffled crack emitted from Marinette, the sensation of her chest sinking slightly.  The mental image of her ribs partially cracked from the pressure being given.

“Come on, melody,” -huff- “please fight” -huff- “Don’t leave me.”

After thirty compressions, he moved to her mouth and began breathing air into her lungs.  The evidence of her chest rises and falls not offering any form of comfort. Not when it wasn’t from her own doing.

Anarka moved opposite of him as she held one of the towels and held it against the gash on Marinette’s side.  While his mother placed pressure against the wound, Luka returned to the chest compressions with more vigor. He knew Marinette would come out of this.  She was always a fighter.

“...28, 29, 30.”

“Luka,” he heard his mother call.

He ignored her as he pressed his mouth against Marinette’s and breathed air into her.  Hoping she would return to him any moment now.

“Luka.”

“I’m not giving up on her, mom,” he stated as he went back to her chest and pushed more compressions, ignoring the tears that were currently falling down his face.

By the time Luka had reached the halfway mark of chest compressions, Marinette’s lurched up slightly as water poured from her mouth.  Quickly, Luka raised Marinette up further to prevent her from choking on the regurgitated water. But, once Marinette finished coughing up the water, he held his melody close against his chest as he finally let the pressure of the situation go.  Tears streamed down like heavy rainfall as Luka held her tightly, whispering his nickname for her. 

“L-Luka.”

He pulled away slightly when he heard the soft whisper of her voice, looking down to find her clouded, unfocused eyes looking up to him.

“You’re safe, Melody.  You’re okay,” he whispered in return.

He watched as she gave a tiresome small nod and closed her eyes out of exhaustion.  Her breath a small wheeze and very faint. It didn’t sit well with Luka and turned his stomach.

“Luka,” came a small, squeaky voice.

The young man turned to find a familiar being that reminded him of Sass, resting in the hands of his sister and holding a half-eaten cookie.

“Please tell me she’ll be okay,” he asked, uncaring if he sounded desperate. 

The red kwami looked down at her chosen, looking guilty and worried as well.

“She will be, if, we can defeat the akuma.”

“How?  How can the akuma be defeated with Ladybug out of commission?”

The kwami stared at Luka, seeming to search for something, he wasn’t sure what.  Then, the kwami’s eyes sparkled as if she found what she was looking for.

Quitely, the red kwami floated down to Marinette and reached for hers removing her earrings.  Without a word, the kwami floated in front of Luka and presented the jewels.

“Luka, will you wield the earrings of the Ladybug?”

The boy looked at the kwami in shock, “W-what?”

“If you wish to help Marinette, then I need you to be my chosen right now to defeat the akuma.  Only then will we be able to help by enacting the Miraculous cure.” She was patient as she let the information sink into Luka.  “So...will you wield the miraculous?”

Luka looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms, her shallow breaths, and her lips still faintly blue with cheeks bearing paleness.  Carefully, he laid Marinette back down on the rug, gently wiping away her partially damp bangs aside.

He looked at the kwami with a fire burning in his eyes, “I accept.”

Removing his earrings, he took the miraculous and hooked the jewels in place.

“Are you sure about this, Luka?”

Luka looked to his sister to find her staring at him in shock and fear, “What if you get hurt too?”

“That’s the risk I’m willing to take.”  He looked at the woman that held his heart, “It’s time someone takes care of her.  Time for others to take some of the burdens from her shoulders.”

He felt a hand rest upon his shoulder and found his mother smiling proudly at him.

“Do what you must, son.  Jules ‘nd I will take care o’ve the lass.  Just be safe ‘nd careful.”

Giving his mother a small smile and nod, he felt Juleka move forward and give him a hug.

“Be safe, Lu.”

Offering his sister a hug in return, he looked at the kwami and awaited instructions.

“My name is Tikki, the god of the Ladybug miraculous.  With the powers granted, your tool is the yo-yo where you also can cast Lucky Charm to help defeat the akuma.  However, once you do you have five minutes before transforming back. To call upon the transformation, you say Spots On.  To call it off, you say Spots Off. Once you capture the akuma, you call upon the miraculous ladybug cure.”  

Tikki gave him a proud smile, “Do you still accept?”

Giving her a nod, Luka shouted the magic words, “Tikki, Spots On.”

Juleka and Anarka watch in fascination and wonder as Luka had become engulfed in light then stood in Ladybug themed attire.  The majority of his body stood in black like he wore a partial biker suit with red outlining. His mid-forearms down to his hands were coated in red with black spots, but his fingers remained black.  At his legs, red started at the middle of his calves and rode down to his feet, but remained black at the soles as if he wore thick biker boots.  

Lastly, they caught the dot pattern that ran along his back.  Four red dots ran down his spine, starting from the bottom of his neck and stopping mid-back.  Two red dots stood on the back of his shoulder blade and two more below them settling at the center of his rib area.  To hide his identity from the outside, a pure black mask covered his upper face. The final touch to the outfit is his hair.  No longer teal tipped, Luka’s hair no longer looked a dark blue but now black with gradients of red end tips.  

“Whoa,” he heard his sister whisper in awe.  “You make a cool Ladybug.”

Luka shook his head, “No, not Ladybug.  Cardinalis. The Ladybug title already has an owner.”

The hero knelt down and placed a kiss against Marinette’s forehead, then quietly whispered in her ear, “You didn’t have to bear all this responsibility alone, melody.”

Placing one final kiss on her cheek, Cardinalis stood and walked over to the entrance of the stairway leading back up to the top of the deck.  He looked back at his family and gave a smile before disappearing up the stairs. For now, he had to believe his family would keep Marinette safe.  Because now, he had a job to save Marinette and find Chat Noir; hoping he’s not too late to help him.

Unhooking his yo-yo from his belt, Cardinalis spun the weapon, listening to the whirl of the string spinning as he walked over to the far side of the boat, leading to the shore a few feet away.  Launching the yo-yo through the cloud of dust, he felt the end clip as the string tightened. He gave the string a tug, using the railing to lift off as he glided up in the air. He didn't look back as he disappeared into the dust and towards the battle awaiting him.

Chapter Text

Flying through the mountain of dust and debris in the air was daunting.  Cardinalis wasn’t sure if it was the nerves wracking through him at the anticipation to find the akuma and end this horrible nightmare or simply not wanting to come face to face with the appending sight that will greet him the moment he exits that oddity of a sanctuary behind the barricade of dust.

If he was honest with himself, it was the latter.  He was quite confident that he wasn’t ready to see the result caused from this akuma.  Seeing death and destruction through another’s perspective and not his own as Viperion was overwhelming.  There was no second chance to rewind and start over if he and Chat Noir ran into a dead end.

Breaking through the thick cloud coating over half of the arrondissement, Cardinalis couldn’t begin to process the sight that greeted him that stood across the area.  It was like he suddenly resurfaced from underwater where it was silent to overbearing noise.  There were so many mixtures of sounds that echoed throughout the area that it felt gut-wrenching, making him want to hurl.  It was like he got hit by a wall.  All the sounds that sliced through the air were filled with piercing screams of anguish and despair. 

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t stop himself from looking down and around as he made his way through the collapsed pathway of buildings leading towards the akuma’s location.

Glancing around, he caught sight of people trying to lift sections of rubble as shouts and screams echoed from beneath.  Looking over to another spot he caught a glimpse of people, as young as children to elderly, covered in dust, scrapes, and even blood.  He could feel the shaken breath that racked up his throat and escaped his mouth.

‘When did this become my life?’ 

That tumbled through his mind recently.  Thinking of all the chaos that ensued throughout the years because of a crazed man.

A flash of Marinette in his arms weakened and injured.  He thought of all the trauma he’s endured from being a miraculous holder and wondered if she went through the same things.  Nights of waking up due to nightmares from the fears of what-ifs.  Breaking down in tears and sobs from those nightmares and looking for comfort.  

A tear ran down his cheek at the thought of all the nights she probably broke down crying from nightmares alone.  All those nights that she needed someone to comfort her and try to take the pain away. 

Cardinalis took a deep breath as the strain of his worrying for Marinette started clouding his mind.  He couldn’t let himself get overworked during this crucial time when he had a job to do.  Allowing himself to become overwhelmed wasn’t going to help find Chat Noir and defeat the akuma victim.  He could collapse from the bearing emotions once this situation was over.

An ear-piercing mechanical roar quivered through the collapsed section of the arrondissement that grabbed the hero’s attention.  Unhooking his yo-yo, he flung it back out as it hooked on a warped piece of metal framing from a collapsed building and swung his way in the direction of the akuma.

Calling back his yo-yo, Cardinalis dropped to the nearest stabled building in a crouch before sprinting into a run.  The number of destroyed buildings in the area made it difficult to find enough stable objects to swing and made him wonder if this difficulty added to the challenge for Marinette when fighting the akuma.  If the akuma was as massive as Nadja announced, then being the holder of creation without having the ability to fly was going to be rough.  

He knew Chat Noir and himself were going to have to tackle this as strategically as possible.  But first things first, he had to locate his partner and drag themselves to safety to plan.

Jumping over another building, a black spec in the distance caught Cardinalis’s attention as it dodged a horrific mechanically built claw that smashed and dug into the top of the building.  The ladybug hero swore as it looked like something one would see from those transformers movies.  And the moment he saw the mechanical beast like head with glowing red eyes, he agreed that all that horror like shit can stay as fiction and movies.

Watching as the akuma struggled to follow Chat Noir on the building, the moment Cardinalis saw the head disappear behind the structure, he flung his yo-yo and dived down to grab the cat holder.  Wrapping his left arm around Chat’s waist, Cardinalis pushed off the building and swung them away to a safer location.

The moment they landed, he released his grip on Chat Noir and took a breather.  But that moment was ruined when he heard the relief tone of his partner.

“Oh, ladybug, I was so-”

It pained Cardinalis to see the relief and joy at the prospect of seeing his lifetime partner, only to be greeted by a stranger in an entirely different outfit.  Even with all their suits change in design to match their maturity through the years, you just become accustomed to the ones you know.  Especially for the cat and bug.  

He watched Chat Noir’s gaze move up and down as he took in the person standing in front of him.  No doubt taking in the massive difference compared to Ladybug’s where Cardinalis sported a majority of black than red.  And he watched those cat eyes harden as the cat holder reached for his baton strapped behind his back with great speed and moved into a feral like defense position.

“Who are you?!” demanded Chat.  

Cardinalis raised his hands in a form of peace and displayed he was of no harm.

“It’s okay, Chat.  You know me,” spoke Cardinalis.  He watched as Chat’s brows furrowed, trying to think as he held his position.  Slowly and cautiously, Cardinalis walked closer to Chat.  “We’ve worked together.  Look closer.”

Again, he watched Chat’s gaze move around his body until he focused on his face.  Then his hair.  He knew he was different compared to his Viperion persona.  His hair was shorter now from when he was younger, and it stood messier and spikier compared to Viperion, but he knew his hair highlights were drastically different.  Instead of his normal tipped highlights, the ladybug transformation spread those highlights further, almost making his hair almost appear red than blue.  Though perhaps that was the best if it meant keeping identities hidden.  

Thankfully, he felt a weight lift when he could see Chat figured it out as his posture softened from his defensive position.  He lowered his baton as his gaze softened.

“V-Viperion?”

Cardinalis gave his friend a nod and lowered his hands, “It’s me.”

Chat dropped his baton as dread started taking over the cat hero.

“What happened to Ladybug?!  W-where is she?!”

The bug hero glanced away, unable to look Chat in the eyes as the memories of the past half hour flashed in his mind.  He was worried it would make matters worse if Chat Noir learned about what happened to his partner.  They couldn’t risk either of them to be distracted, but he couldn’t live with himself not informing Chat about Ladybug.  If he were in Chat’s position, he’d want to know what happened to his partner.

“She’s safe, but she’s extremely weak and injured.”

As Cardinalis feared, it pushed Chat a bit into hysterics.  The cat hero rushed over to him and frantically bombarded him with his own questions full of grief and worry, his arms waving wildly.

“You need to take me to her?!  I need to know she’s okay?!”

Cardinalis reached and grabbed Chat’s arms and shoved him against the brick wall of the alley they were taking cover in.  He had to calm his friend down and help him focus.

“Stop, Chat!  I need you to relax, please,” he demanded.  He didn’t want to prevent Chat from expressing his emotions, but Cardinalis knew there was a time and place.  “Please, Chat.  I need you to breathe.”

“Please take me to her,” pleaded Chat.  It tore into Luka’s heart when he witnessed Chat begin to cry.  The black cat’s voice was merely a whisper.  “I can’t lose my best friend.  Please, Luka.”

Cardinalis pulled Chat Noir into an embrace and offered as much comfort he could to the younger man.

“You know I can’t do that, Chat.  I’m sorry.”

He felt Chat Noir cling to his body as he silently cried.  There was no amount of words that could take away the pain his friend was going through.  What does one say when their best friend of years fighting against crime is injured and unable to see them?

As much as his good-hearted nature said yes, in mind he knew he couldn’t.  Neither Ladybug and Chat Noir knew each other’s identity and it wasn’t his place to determine that part of fate.  Though, perhaps he could be a voice of reason once this battle was over.  Use the reveal as a means to help Marinette.

Breaking the embrace, Chardinalis placed his hands on top of his friend’s shoulders, “I promise, once this battle is over and we enable the miraculous cure, I will tell Ladybug to meet with you.  Okay?”

Chat gave him a nod and wiped the tears from his cheeks, “Okay.”

“Now, let’s help the lady by defeating the akuma,” he gave Chat a smile filled with determination.

Chat stood straight with a new drive of determination and focus, ready to take on the akuma, “Let’s do it.”

“Do you need to recharge at all?” asked Cardinalis.

Shaking his head, “No, I recharged before...before Ladybug was tossed.  Ready to get this battle done and over with.”

Giving his partner a nod, both jumped into a sprint and launched up onto the nearest roof to locate the akumatized victim.  They glanced across the battlefield that was half of the eleventh arrondissement when another building in the far distance signaled the akuma’s whereabouts.

Running along the destructive path, it didn’t take Cardinalis and Chat Noir to reach the area that the akuma was currently destroying.

“I’LL SHOW THEM REAL ANGER.”

The two heroes watched as the akuma barrelled into the nearby building of the previous one it destroyed, loosening the foundation as cracks spidered from the base and up towards the top.

“I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FIRE THE BEST WORKER.”

Well, that answered Cardinalis’s question about what caused this akuma.  But, now they had to figure out how to defeat it.  By far this was the biggest akuma they’ve experienced and their regular attacks and strategies wouldn’t work.

“Were you able to figure out the akumatized object?”

“No,” Chat’s ears bent back, exhaustion slowly seeping to the surface of the younger hero.  “With the dust he kicks up, it’s made it difficult to get close enough without getting caught.  Visibility has been our biggest struggle.”

“It sounds like he’s purposely using that as his advantage against us.  The only thing I can think of is to try to prevent him from kicking up as much dust as po- Watch out!”

Cardinalis grabbed Chat Noir and threw them across the roof they were standing on as a large chunk of a building section slammed into the area.  The two heroes looked back in shock as a mixture of metal and concrete embedded into the building.

“SO THE BUG AND CAT DECIDE TO FINALLY RETURN.”   They froze as the piercing red and glowing eyes locked them in place.  Cardinalis felt like those red glowing eyes were peering into his soul and he was sure he’s going to be seeing those lights in his sleep for a while.  “ARE YOU ENJOYING MY WORK?  I’M ALWAYS THE SCAPEGOAT FOR WORK BEING DESTROYED.  SO I FIGURED I’D GIVE THOSE BOSSES A REAL SHOW OF DESTRUCTION.”

Akumas filled on rage were usually a tricky business to begin with, but like all akumas they were eventually contained and cured.  With this akuma’s size, only fate knows.  And Cardinalis is hoping that fate would be kind to them.

“I’m sure we can work this out!” shouted Cardinalis.  “You can’t let Papillion manipulate you!”

“MANIPULATE?” The mechanical beast crept closer to the duo as the heroes kept their focus on the akuma’s face.  They looked for any sign of any other emotion or sign of the civilian deep down to drag them away from the anger fueling their akumatization.  “HE’S GIVING ME WHAT I WANT.”   The mechanical parts screeched as the head looked at the heroes in interest.  “REVENGE.”

“What about the people of Paris?!” yelled Chat Noir.  “You’re hurting and killing people!”

“MERE PRICE TO PAY.”   Steam seeped from pipes and nozzles from pressure released within the akuma.  The mechanicalized akuma moved closer; vibrations rumbling from their movements.  There was no guess to how heavy this akuma was or strength it possessed when witnessing the ground crumble beneath its feet.  “BUT IF YOU WISH FOR THIS TO END, HAND ME YOUR MIRACULOUS.”

“That’s not going to happen!” Cardinalis responded as he and Chat Noir moved in a fighting pose. 

“THEN THE DEATHS ARE ON YOUR HANDS!  TRY TO DEFEAT ME WHEN YOU’RE FIGHTING BLIND!”

Lifting onto its hind legs, they watched as the akuma’s front legs transformed into large jackhammers and slammed them into the ground, creating quakes throughout the sector of the city.  The heroes flitched when they heard the screeching sound of metal grinding as the motion of the jackhammers kicked to life.  With each jab into the ground, the akuma brought up a suffocating amount of dirt into the air as it started covering the area.

Both heroes shield their mouths with their arms as their visibility darkened.  Cardinalis swore they were going to need therapy after this.  Whoever decided that kids, coming close to being young adults, were capable of fighting against a crazed man had a few screws loose.  Cause fuck them.

Blind and unable to confirm if the akuma was still located in front of them, both heroes knew they were back into a dangerous position.  They had to stop this akuma fast before more destruction reached other areas of Paris.  But, before they could move and relocate to a safer spot, both Cardinalis and Chat Noir felt their feet give way when the building they were standing on violently shook.  And mere seconds later, a large mechanical clawed hand rammed into the top of the building; shattering the roof and sending the heroes into the air.

Reaching out to grab Chat Noir, Cardinalis held onto his partner tightly as he unhooked his yo-yo and shot it out randomly.  Feeling his weapon hook, he tugged and let gravity and momentum swing them out of the falling debris.  Within seconds, the two heroes fell into an empty alleyway and dropped to the ground, rolling harshly across the gravel until both fell into a stop.

Sucking in the small space of fresher air, Cardinalis brought his yo-yo back and pushed himself up.  He turned around to find his friend returning to his feet and trying to swat the dirt from his hair.  Even though they got lucky escaping the attack, they didn’t escape without a few cuts and scrapes.

“This isn’t working, Vip-” Chat paused as he looked at his friend, “I can’t call you Viperion when you’re not him.  Do you have a new name for this form?”

“Cardinalis.”

“Perfect.  Now, as I was saying, this isn’t working.  We need a different approach now that I’m sure he’s going to be constantly kicking up dust to keep us blind.”

Cardinalis placed his thumb and index finger below his chin as he fell into deep thought.  He won’t lie that being in a different position where he couldn’t focus solely on observing was a bit of a challenge for him.  There’s not a moment he would say he can’t be creative, but he’s not sure he has the amount of creativity to take on the ladybug miraculous.  Maybe if he was ladybug for all the years Marinette had been perhaps he’d unlock more of a creative streak.  But as far as this experience has proven, this role is meant for Marinette and he’ll gladly stick with being Viperion.  Until then, he’ll have to tackle this fight in a different perspective.

“Do you know if Ladybug attempted Lucky Charm before being separated?”

He looked at Chat Noir when he watched the cat hero give him a shake of the head.

“Sorry, I don’t.  We were already separated when the first or second round of dust filled the area.  We also had the difficulty of keeping communication between us.  She probably ended up too close to the akuma before getting...injured.”  Chat Noir took a deep breath.  “If I had known, then I would have suggested we move back and re-strategize.”

“Well, then my suggestion is to call Lucky Charm and see if it offers a magical solution.”  Unhooking his yo-yo, Cardinalis threw the weapon in the hair and called out the catchphrase, “Lucky Charm.”

In a bright reddish-pink light, the ladybug hero held out his hands as the object dropped down into his hands.  Once having a proper grip, he held up the object as Chat Noir moved closer to take a look as well.  To say they were dumbfounded was an understatement.  What the hell does one do with a picture frame containing an image of a storm cloud hovering over a majestic looking dragon?

“You gotta be kidding me,” Chardinalis groaned in confusion.  “How does a picture help us defeat an akuma, a large one at that.”

“Welcome to my world”, mumbled Chat.  “Now you know how I felt when I had to be Mr. Bug a few times.  Apparently my first time as the ladybug was a free pass.  Every other time, I dealt with LB’s pain with the random object.”

“Sounds like it shows that not everyone is built for any miraculous.  Just wish I had your luck for the first time as the ladybug holder.”

Chat reached and grabbed the lucky charm and stared at the picture with a small smile.  “You know, I kinda feel like this is something that Ryuuko would like, with it being a dragon.”

At the same time, both heroes' eyes went wide with recollection.  Cardinalis grumbled as he smacked his forehead.  Beside him, Chat Noir banged his head with the lucky charm.

“We’re idiots,” mumbled Chat Noir.

“To be fair,” started Cardinalis as he looked at his partner, “When under pressure it’s hard to think straight.”

“Alright, so then we need Ryuuko to help defeat the akuma.  Sounds easy enough.”

“Not really,” responded Cardinalis.  “I don’t know where Ladybug keeps the other miraculouses.”

“Well, considering she’s the guardian, she’d keep them close by.  Somewhere she can easily retrieve them when another member is called in.”

A smile spread across Cardinalis’s face as he snapped his fingers in relief.

“I think I know where to go and find the miraculouses.  Do you by chance know who Ryuuko is?”

Chat Noir pounded his chest, “Leave it to me, Cards.  You go get the miraculous and I’ll fetch Ryuuko.  Meet at the Eiffel Tower?”

Cardinalis gave Chat Noir a nod and both sprinted in opposite directions.  The moment Cardinalis made it a few feet, he heard the first beep from the earrings.  Last thing he needed was to detransform before reaching his location.  With newfound adrenaline, he sprinted faster through the destroyed arrondissement and across the Seine for the untouched area of the city.  Whipping out his yo-yo, Cardinalis made a dash towards the Marinette’s home.

With the beeping keeping him focused, he finally reached the bakery’s location with the miraculous hitting it’s final minute mark.  Thankfully, with the streets empty, people probably too busy watching the news, Cardinalis made a jump to Marinette’s balcony.  Landing as softly and quietly as he could, he heard the miraculous beep for its last remaining seconds and lifted up the skylight door, slipping into the bedroom below.

Landing on her bed softly, he quickly and silently made his way down the loft when his transformation reached its end.  In a bright flash of red, Luka stood in place, catching Tikki in his hands.  He gave her a scratch along her cheek, earning himself a chirp from the little god.

“Do you know if Marinette has any cookies around here for you?  I don’t feel too comfortable having to sneak around her parents home without them knowing I’m here.”

“It’s okay Luka.  Marinette has some macarons on her desk by the computer.”

Following Tikki’s words, Luka walked over to Marinette’s desk and found a small box of her parents bakery’s macarons.  Opening the lid, Luka handed the little god the treat.

While Tikki ate and recharged, he’d ask her to help him find the other miraculouses.

“Okay, Tikki.  Do you know where I can find the miraculouses?”

This was probably the most anxious he’s felt since this whole situation began.  He didn’t like the idea of learning Marinette’s secrets when he wasn’t in position to do so.  In all honesty, he felt like he was invading her privacy.  He really hoped that Marinette wouldn’t become overwhelmed with everything that’s happening from this sudden change.

“Of course.  Go to the large chest by the window.  It’ll be under all the dolls and kid toys.  You’ll see an orb shape with ladybug patterns.”

Following Tikki’s words, Luka turned around and saw a large chest by one of the windows.  Heading over, he lifted the lid and was greeted by a large number of dolls and toys.  No doubt they were there for the little kids she would babysit.  Pushing them aside, he saw a glimpse of a ladybug pattern.  Removing some of the toys from the chest, he eventually pulled out the orb-shaped container described by Tikki.

Standing up, Luka walked over to Marinette’s desk where Tikki sat eating her macaron.  She looked to be almost finished, which amazed him counting how big the cookie was compared to her mouth.  Though, perhaps needing energy makes one quickly eat or it could just be this situation in general too.

Placing the object of the desk, Tikki swallowed that last bit of macaron and flew over towards the miracle box.

“Alright,” she started, “the code to open the miracle box-”

“Hold on, Tikki.”

The kwami stopped and looked at Luka, finding him glancing back and forth between her and the object in uncertainty.  

“I don’t feel comfortable knowing the code.  I feel like I’m already busying the boundaries of her secrets as it is.  I’m already worried that she’s going to be overwhelmed with all of this identity situation.  I don’t think I can add knowing the code to the miracle box to her stress.”

Tikki gave Luka a nod and comforting smile, “You’re a very noble young man, Luka.  I appreciate that about you and I know Marinette would appreciate that as well.  If you feel that much about it, then you can turn around or close your eyes while I enter the code.”

Giving her a nod, Luka closed his eyes while Tikki tapped the black spots in a certain pattern.  Hearing a couple of clicks, he waited until the kwami told him it was safe to look.

“Alright, Luka.  You can open your eyes.”

Taking a few seconds, he slowly opened his eyes to find the orb-shaped object perfectly still on one end, the small area of the end suddenly flat and holding it stable.  From the center, the orb was open in half, the top as the lid while the main bottom half held all the miraculouses.   

Luka looked in awe at seeing where all the miraculous were stored.  Never thinking that jewels of unlimited power were stored in a mere magical orb within a bedroom.

“We better hurry, Luka.  There’s still an akuma to defeat.”

“Oh, right.”

Looking through the container, he questioned which box contained what miraculous.  When he glanced closer, he watched in stunned surprise when some of the symbols magically morphed into very small carved symbols of animals.  Breathing a sigh of relief, Luka glanced over the boxes again until he finally located the small dragon symbol.

Grabbing the dragon miraculous, Tikki explained that he could use the yo-yo to store the miraculous safely while traveling.  Giving the kwami a nod and thanks, Luka called on his transformation and opened up the yo-yo, placing the miraculous securely inside.

Silently making his way up the loft, Cardinalis exited through the sky panel door and up onto the Marinette’s balcony.  Taking one more breather, he made his way towards the Eiffel Tower where he hoped Chat Noir was already there waiting with Ryuuko.

******

Making quick way to the Eiffel Tower, Cardinalis sighed in relief when he caught a glimpse of black which he was positive was Chat Noir and another figure he hoped was Ryuuko.  Swinging his yo-yo one last time, he swung high and landed across from the two members.

What he wasn’t expecting was Adrien’s girlfriend standing there beside Chat Noir.  She looked winded and disheveled.  Judging by her athletic attire, she must have been in the middle of working out. 

“Kagami?”

The young woman turned around and walked over to Cardinalis.  She gave a bow and greeted him.

“Hello, Cardinalis.  Chat Noir informed me that you require my service.”

“That’s correct.  Did Chat Noir explain the situation?”

She gave a nod, “Yes, he has.  I will do everything in my power to help Ladybug.  I promise I won’t let anyone down.”

He gave a smile, aware of her strong and fiery determination, “I know you won’t.  Ladybug always appreciated and spoke highly of you.  I couldn’t imagine a better dragon holder.”

That rewarded him with a proud smile of gratitude from Kagami.  And without wasting more time, Cardinalis handed over the miraculous to her.  With her opening the box, a bright red light followed until the dragon kwami manifested.

“Hello, Miss Kagami.  A pleasure as always to see you,” Longg greeted the moment his eyes fell onto the young woman.

“It’s good to see you too, Longg,” Kagami greeted in return, giving a bow.  “Ready to transform?”

“Just say the words, young one,” the kwami smiled.

“Longg, bring on the storm!”

Once Kagami was transformed into Ryuuko, Cardinalis led the team of three back towards the ranging akuma.  Though, he guessed Chat Noir failed to inform Ryuuko and prepare herself what to expect when they came upon the scene.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Ryuuko cover her mouth in shock and unshed tears surfacing the brim of her eyes.  He knew she wasn’t expecting to come upon a mass of destruction scattered across an arrondissement with injured Parisians grouped together, others not moving or among the rubble.  Like him, most miraculous holders have never come upon an akuma as destructive as this one, even Ladybug and Chat Noir.

“I’m sorry you had to be called in the middle of this”, Cardinalis quietly spoke, completely turning to look at her.  He watched as she closed her eyes and softly shook her head.

“I didn’t think it was this bad.  I just assumed the media was exaggerating as the media does.”

“I understand.  I didn’t want to believe my eyes when I stumbled upon the scene.  But now that we have you here, I know we can finally bring this to an end.”  He gave her a smile.

“That makes two of us”, came Chat’s voice.  “With your abilities, we can finally give the akuma a taste of his own medicine.”

“Then we better get going.”

Cardinalis jumped off the building from where they stood, leading the way to where the akuma was last spotted.  And like before, the area still had some dust hovering over the place, hiding the akuma inside.

“Let’s see if we can call him out,” mumbled Cardinalis.  Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted, “HEY!  AKUMA!  COME ON OUT!”

It was fairly silent other than the breeze blowing around them.  He was beginning to wonder if the akuma was even in the area until he felt a very small vibration.  Looking down at his feet, he bent down and placed his hands on the roof.  The movement caught the attention of the other two.

“Did you pick something up, Cardinalis?” asked Ryuuko.

One upside that came with being the snake holder for so long gave him the sensitivity to vibrations.  He never felt more thankful to Sass until that very moment. 

“He’s coming.”

And true to his words, the next rumble was stronger and louder.  Hearing the mechanical noises and fellow rumbles gave the heroes enough indication that the akuma was coming towards them.  After hearing a few shakes, the noises stopped, a hint of a dark shadow within the dust.

Holding their ground, they remained staring at the wall of dust when the head of the akuma poked through the dirt-filled air.  Even seeing it previously, the mechanical monster looking head still sent shivers down his spine, and judging by the slight reactions to his teammates, it was the same feelings for them.

The akuma’s eyes fell onto Ryuuko and gave off a deep rumble of a chuckle that could be felt through each hero’s body, “SO...I SEE YOU HAD TO RECRUIT SOME HELP.”

Cardinalis heard Ryuuko growl and was sure she was glaring coldly at the akuma.  However, when the akuma moved a little closer towards Ryuuko, his attention fell onto a small object on top of the akuma’s head hanging by a short chain.  Bingo.

“SUCH A LITTLE SPITFIRE.”

Ryuuko snarled as she tried to leap at the akuma only to be held back by Chat Noir.

“HAVE YOU FINALLY DECIDED TO GIVE ME YOUR MIRACULOUS.”

“No”, Cardinalis stated firmly.

“VERY WELL.”

In a quick movement, the akuma’s mouth opened displaying speeding razors spinning inside as he launched at the heroes.  Crunching down, the akuma tore off a chunk of the building and threw it aside.  Glancing at the debris, he couldn’t see any traces of the heroes and let out a roar in frustration and began tearing down buildings in search of the heroes.

******

A couple yards away, Cardinalis landed in the safety of one of the alleyways.  Catching a breather, he jumped when his yo-yo began to ring.

Flipping the lid open, he sighed in relief when he heard his partner’s voice.

“Cardinalis, are you okay?!”

“Yea, yea I’m fine.”

“Oh, thank gods.”

“Is Ryuuko with you?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Cardinalis fell against the brick wall of the alley and gave off another sigh of relief.

“Perfect.  This will be easier then.  I think I finally found the akumatized object.  It’s the hard hat attached above his head on a chain.”

“How the hell are we going to get close to him without getting chomped up?”

“With Ryuuko.  She’s basically going to be our iron fist against this akuma.  With the amount of dust in the air, Ryuuko, I want you to use your wind abilities to create a tornado to slam against him.  Do you think you can do that?”

“No problem.”

“Fantastic.  Chat, you’ll need to distract the akuma to give Ryuuko time and I’ll be down on the ground to use the yo-yo to trip him once Ryuuko goes on the attack.  Let’s finish this.”

“Will do, Cards.  On it now.”

Cardinalis heard the call end and made his way back towards the akuma on the ground.  Cutting through the safety of the alleyways.  He wanted to remain as undetected as possible with his yo-yo at the ready.  Reaching the designated area, he laid low and waited for Ryuuko to come blaring with her wind ability.  Hopefully she will be able to hold that form for a long while until he can enter in and help.

A couple minutes went by when he started to feel a breeze blowing in the alleyway, but what he noticed most was the direction of the wind and speed that was picking up.  The dirt filled air started passing by him at quicker speeds second by second.  Popping his head out of the alleyway, the wind blowing his hair, he squinted from the breeze, and made out the small tunnel forming.  Growing thicker and bigger by the minute.  An easy indicator telling him that Chat Noir and Ryuuko were making their move.

The final battle began and Cardinalis couldn’t wait to finish it. 

Watching as Ryuuko built the twister in size, the arrondissement began to clear and brought the akuma out from hiding.  Cardinalis smirked as he felt pleased when he saw the akuma jerk in confusion.

From the distance he saw a black figure jump from building to building, throwing insults and taunts to the akuma.  Even taking some of the rubble and batting the debris at the akuma with his staff.  For such a good at times, he knew Chat Noir was someone you could always trust to have your back.  It made him happy to know that Marinette had someone like Chat by her side through the years.

Gaining the attention of the akuma, the mechanical beast raised one of its massive metal claws and swiped at the cat hero.  Thankfully, Chat Noir had the flexibility and speed of the cat and dodged out of the way.  And in good time too.

The moment that Chat Noir dodged the attack, he sprinted across the area on all four to get out of the way for Ryuuko who had managed to build a twister to massive size.  Which he also took as the signal to move and get into place to help Ryuuko.

Pushing through the heavy winds, Cardinalis rushed as fast as he could and spun his yo-yo in preparation towards the akuma’s feet.  Once he felt close enough, he spun his yo-yo out and wrapped it around its feet.

Chat Noir landed beside him and grabbed some of the string to aid his partner.  He was sure it was going to take as much strength to trip the akuma and for that, he was glad to have Chat there.

“Now Ryuuko!” shouted Cardinalis, both he and Chat Noir pulling the yo-yo tight.

With the roar of the wind, Ryuuko sped through the streets like a freight train dead center to the mechanical akuma.  The akuma roared as it threw chunks of debris at the twister, only for the debris to be thrown back in full force.  Holding their breaths, Cardinalis and Chat Noir watched as Ryuuko came upon the mechanical beast.

He swore it looked like a slow-mo clip the moment Ryuuko made contact on the akuma.  Watching as the twister of dirt and debris slammed into the akuma while it in return tried to fight back against the strength of the high winds.  As the beast was being pushed back into a section of destroyed buildings, Cardinalis and Chat Noir used all their strength and pulled on the string of his yo-yo that wrapped around its feet.

When the string tightened, the two heroes took a step back and pulled harder, gaining success when the akuma started falling back.  Ryuuko was a storm waiting to be released.  There was no doubt in Cardinalis’s mind that without her, he and Chat Noir would have kept on struggling.  He never felt more grateful that luck stood out and gave them the outlook they truly needed.

Once the akuma fell back into the buildings, the large twister dissipated, allowing the different amounts of debris picked up by the tunnel to fall atop the akumatized victim.  It roared with every piece of debris that landed on them.  At the final piece landing on the small pile, the akuma tried getting back with some struggle.

If the akuma manages to escape then their chance to grab the akumatized object goes down the drain.  Though, the other concern for Cardinalis is the safety of Chat Noir.  The way the akuma is still moving radically in its attempt to get out, it could still manage to snap his partner and that was the last thing he wanted to happen in his charge.

Ryuuko landed near a low roof and shouted to him, “What’s next?”

“We need to find a way to knock him out or restrain him somehow so Chat can get close enough.  It’s too dangerous otherwise.”

The dragon holder looked back at the struggling akuma and back to her partners.

“I’ve got it covered, but you two need to follow quickly but make sure not to close.  I’ll take out the akuma while Chat Noir follows to destroy the object.”  She looks at Cardinalis, “You get ready to capture it.”

The boys gave Ryuuko a nod and followed the moment she took off towards the victim.  Once she reached a quarter distance to the akuma, Ryuuko jumped on a small debris pile and launched herself into the air.  At the height of seeing her above the akuma victim, the boys watched as she called on her lightning power and struck the mechanical beast with an intense voltage of electricity.

All the heroes heard a shivering screech mixed roar as waves of electricity traveled through the body of the akuma.  Seeing the final wave fade, the akuma fell back, motionless.

“Now Chat Noir,” he called his partner.

With the order, Chat Noir ran over towards the rubble and moved on all four towards the akuma’s head.  Being a little cautious, he made his way up the small hill of dirt, concrete, and brick until he finally made his way on top of the head.  Glancing through the dust-covered pieces, he finally caught a glimpse of the chain Cardinalis spoke of and made his way over.  

Pulling along the chain, he sighed in relief when his hands came upon the hard hat that Cardinalis saw before the battle.  Finally, the fight was over and Paris could be healed, along with Ladybug.

“Cataclysm,” he called upon his power, touching the object as it disintegrated in his hands.  He watched with a smile as the akuma fluttered away and the victim started to return to normal.

From down below, Cardinalis recalled his yo-yo and slid his finger across the center to activate the purification mode.  Spinning, he threw his yo-yo up and caught the akuma, letting the glow take over before releasing the purified butterfly.

Chat Noir jumped down with the akumatized victim, setting him down on the ground before heading over towards Cardinalis.  Ryuuko came forward as the duo asked him what to do next, all of them looking around at the destroyed arrondissement. 

Brow's furrowed, Cardinalis only thought of one idea that he hoped lady luck would grant the citizens of Paris.  Gripping his yo-yo, he threw it up and called upon Lucky Charm.  Falling into his hands was the same picture frame with the photo that hinted to them to call in Ryuuko.

With a smile, Cardinalis launched the picture frame in the air and shouted, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

All three heroes watched with relief in their eyes and smiles as the magical swarm of ladybugs swept through the entire arrondissement, reversing all that happened from the chaos before.  All buildings returning to full structures and hopefully, all the citizens that were injured or worse from the fight.

Seeing the final swarm of the bugs, everything looked brighter and were able to see the evening glow of the sun.  It had almost been an entire day’s battle and Cardinalis and the others couldn’t feel prouder to finally relax and breathe knowing it was all over.

Hearing footsteps, all three looked over to find the akuma victim approaching them with a grimace and look of shame, not making eye contact with any of them.   

“I’m sorry for all the destruction I caused on everyone.  I just reached my limit and my anger finally got the better of me.”

“It’s alright, sir”, spoke Cardinalis.  “We’re all human and have breaking points.  Maybe you can talk to the hire ups or HR and tell them how you’ve been feeling.  If there’s anyone who might help create a better work environment, it’ll be them.”

The man gave him a small smile and nod and thanked the heroes one last time before making his way home for the evening. 

Hearing the first beep from his earrings, he turned to Chat Noir and Ryuuko, offering them a smile.

“Thank you guys for your hard work.  I know Ladybug would be proud right now.”  Looking at Ryuuko, “Hold onto the miraculous until Ladybug meets with you.  We already crossed some of those secret lines, once one more.”  

He shook his head and sighed, looking back at his friends, “Be prepared to be contacted by Ladybug.  There’s a lot I think needs to be discussed, but I have to convince her first.  All I will say is that I think she could really use some help.”

Chat Noir and Ryuuko gave him a nod.  Ryuuko said her goodbyes and took off, making her way towards home.  As for Chat Noir, he held out his hand which Cardinalis kindly took before the cat holder brought him into a hug.

“Thanks for taking up the mantle, Luka.  You have no idea how happy I am that you’re part of the team and stepping up when we really needed help.”  Releasing the hug, he gave him a smile, “And thank you for taking care of my best friend.” -giving a wink- “No offense.  I like you and Carapace, but…”

“She was your first,” finished Cardinalis.

“Yea, my first friend.”

“No, problem man.”

Another beep from his earrings and gave his final goodbyes to Chat Noir before both went their separate ways.

The second he landed on the houseboat, he ran straight into the greenhouse as a red light coated him.  Holding out his hands, he caught Tikki and gave her a smile, “There’s some cookies down below that you can help yourself too.”

“Thank you, Luka, for everything you did today.  I appreciate you and your family for taking care of my ladybug.”

“I’d do anything for Marinette, even if it means protecting her from herself.”

He began making his way down from the greenhouse and towards the entrance of the living space below.

“Yes...that’s partially my fault.  I forget times are not what things were centuries or millenniums ago.  And you opened my eyes to that, so thank you.”

“Of course, Tikki.  But first things first is to make sure Marinette is doing better.”

Letting Tikki take rest on his shoulders, Luka made his way to the entrance and down the stairs.  When he reached the bottom he found his sister and mother on the couch sitting looking at the news.  Looking over to the TV, he found Marinette standing, staring at the news completely focused on a small blanket around her shoulders.

Reaching the final step, the wood creaked below his feet signaling his presence.  

Marinette spun around and it was like meeting eye contact with a beautiful starry night when they faced each other.  So many emotions flowed through those gorgeous blue orbs and he was sure he was displaying the same emotions.

Without another word, he forgot about everything around him as he rushed over to the one that held his heart, meeting her halfway when she came rushing towards him.  Wrapping his arms around her and holding her close gave his body and mind the relief he desperately needed knowing his melody was safe and out of harm’s way.

“We have much to discuss,” he whispered near her ear.

“I know,” she whispered back.

He could feel her snuggle against his chest as he rested his head above hers.  They both held on to each other in a vice grip.  Even though there will be much to be discussed, for now, all that mattered at that very second was holding Marinette in his arms, and knowing the worst nightmare for either of them had passed.

Chapter Text

It had been three days since the incident with the construction based akuma...and the scare with Marinette.  Three days to let his mind process everything that happened.

Unfortunately, those three days of letting all the events sink in didn’t ease any of the pain.  Sure, he looked calmer, but internally, he was still buzzing from everything.  The weight of assumptions flowing through his head that Marinette deals with revolving around as guardian, all the responsibilities on top of the responsibilities as a civilian.  

A few tears slid down his cheeks as memories of seeing her unconscious in the water and on the boat began to plague him again.  He’s already spent the last few days dealing with nightmares, nowhere near to the ones he’s dealt with being Viperion.  What nightmare wouldn’t be worse when you knew the person behind the mask?

There was no way he could begin to imagine the amount of stress Marinette probably dealt with...alone.  He felt like he failed her, failed to see the signs that might have given him a glimpse into her hidden life that held the struggles.

They needed to talk, but he wanted to give Marinette the control and waited for her to call or text when she was ready.  There was nothing more important to him than to help her release everything that she’s kept bottled up and closed off to her group of supporters.  Why would she hide this from those who could help her?

His chest ached as he heaved a sigh, turning his gaze towards the porthole and looking over the small view of the Seine.  The waters calm and silent, the houseboat slightly swaying as if the river was trying to lullaby him from his own stress.  

He was thankful for having his own private quarters.  The last thing he wanted was to be questioned by Juleka.  It didn’t go unnoticed by him that she and their mother have been keeping a close eye on him since the akuma attack.  Which was understandable, all Couffaines looked out for each other, but, right now, this wasn’t something that his sister and mother could fully help with.

Bing.

Hearing his phone, Luka reached beside him where it was laying and picked the device up.  Clicking the home button and lighting the screen, he saw a text message from Marinette.  Entering his passcode, he read her message.

Marinette: Thank you for being patient and waiting.  I’m ready to talk.  Can you come over?

Luka smiled, some of the anxiety easing from his body now that the chance to finally talk and figure a way to help his overworked girlfriend was available.

Luka: Of course.  I’m leaving now.  Front or side door?

Marinette: Side door.

Luka: K, see ya soon.  Love you, Melody.

Pushing himself off his bed, he pocketed his phone into the back of his charcoal smoke grey jean pocket.  Grabbing a thin navy long-sleeved hoodie shirt, he threw it over his black tank top and rolled up the sleeves to his elbows.  Heading to his desk, he picked up his keys and wallet, and exited his bedroom and passed through the living space; ignoring the silent gaze from his family.

Up above the desk, Luka passed the boardwalk and onto the dock and straight to the motorcycle chained on the metal pole.  Unlocking the chains, he rolled the bike to the street, hopped into the seat, and put his helmet on before igniting life into the engine.  Revving the motor a few times, he spun the bike into gear and rode off towards the bakery.

Riding passed buildings and down the maze of roads, he couldn’t wait to reach the bakery and pull Marinette in his arms.  It sucked having the boat docked further away, but the ride towards Marinette’s home gave him time to prepare himself for the long-awaited talk.  

When Luka finally arrived at the bakery, he pulled his motorcycle up to the back of the bakery in the alleyway, locking it up.  Removing his helmet, he sent a text message to Marinette to inform her of his arrival and walked back towards the side entrance of the Dupain-Cheng home.  A few seconds later he heard the door jiggle and sound of the lock clicking before opening up and being greeted by Marinette.

“Hey, babe,” greeted Marinette.

“Hey, bug.”  

She gave him a small knowing smile and opened the door wider to allow Luka in and moved away to walk up the stairs.  Closing the door behind him, Luka locked the door and followed Marinette up the stairs to the main area of the Dupain-Cheng home.  Once they entered the living space, Marinette continued her way towards the stairs that led to her bedroom; Luka closed the front door and looked around the home.  It was quiet, no sight of Sabine and Tom anywhere.

“Where are your parents?” he asked as he followed Marinette to the stairs leading to her room.

“They’re catering a large banquet down in another city.  Just me for another day, so we won’t have to worry about anyone interrupting us” she responded.

The moment they entered her bedroom, Marinette walked to the middle of her room and stopped, hunched slightly as her back faced him.  He watched her quietly and noted her movement when one of her hands gripped her opposite arm in nervousness.  It was a common gesture he’d seen plenty of times and one that typically led to her apologizing or thinking the worst.

“Luka,” she breathed, “I’m so sor-” she spun to look at him but was cut off when she felt arms wrap around her and her head leaning against Luka’s chest.

He heard her gasp below him, most likely not expecting to have him embrace her.  There was no way in hell he was gonna have her apologize for something that she could not control.  One could only control their own fate for so long before fate itself regained control and led one down a path most necessary.  And right now, fate brought them to this moment and he wasn’t going to let Marinette waste it with apologizing.  So, he embraced her tighter and felt relieved to feel her own arms wrap around him in return.

Luka rested his face against her raven locks and silently breathed in her scent to help ground him and cherish the feeling of having his girlfriend in his arms after everything they all went through.

“I love you so much,” he breathed against her.  “I wish you would have told someone or me about all these responsibilities.”

“No one is supposed to know.”

“Says who, Melody?”

She was silent, but then he heard her whisper, “Fu.”

Who the hell was Fu?  A mentor?

Luka led Marinette to her chaise as they sat down and he looked straight at her and asked, “Who’s Fu, love?”

She looked down, staring at her hands and fiddling with her fingers before closing her eyes, “He was the guardian before me.”

He listened as Marinette explained everything from when she first met Master Fu, to the time she’d go to his place to learn and train in the role of guardianship, to the day Master Fu passed on the role to Marinette.

Luka stood and paced along Marinette’s room, silently seething after hearing everything she told him.  Crossing his arms, he sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

“No matter what happened to Fu, I despise him for what he burdened you with.”

“Luka...he had no choice.”

He looked at her with hurt and pain, but not for himself, but for her and everyone that took a role as a hero.

“What gave him the right to deem you and all of us that weld a miraculous with these responsibilities?”

“I’m the one who chose all of you.  Well, mostly everyone.”

“Yet, he’s the one who put you in the situation.”

Silence filled between them.  

There were not many things that pushed Luka past his calm exterior and mellowed mind, but even he had his limits.  Those limits beached by simply knowing that an adult passed on a role to a child.  Life these days was already a struggle with them handling school, jobs, and building a future.  What kind of future could you build when you have to revolve your life around a box full of magical jewels that could take things that could only ever be believed from fantasy and comics?

Shaking his head, he just felt pain knowing his girlfriend has been revolving her life around a burden of a role thrust upon her when she should be focusing on building a future of her own without worrying about being the guardian.

Looking back at Marinette, he took in her appearance for the first time.  The shadows under her eyes could not go unnoticed no matter the attempt to hide them with make-up.  Her skin looked a slightly paler than the full warmth she’s had when they first met all those years ago.  

Life was a struggle that everyone dealt with, but in front of him, he felt like he was staring into a shell of a person reaching for help but held back by fear.

“You can’t keep doing this alone, Melody.  This has to stop.”

Marinette stood and walked around her room, “I can’t.  No one is supposed to know.”  

She turned to him, “There’s already risks with you knowing about my identity!  Fu said no one is to know identities.  He warned me of the dangers and I failed him!  A guardian is the protector of the miracle box and I couldn’t even protect my own identity!”  Tears broke the surface as they streamed down her face, “I’m not a worthy guardian!  I failed to be a good guardian like Fu!  I knew I couldn’t measure up to him like I-”

“Enough!” he shouted with firmness, cutting her off from her rambled speech.

Marinette stopped and turned to Luka, looking at him with surprise.  He stood there gazing at her with stiffness and fire in his eyes like she was a mere child about to be berated by a parent. 

“Enough,” he stated again, softer though still holding firmness like the first.  He walked towards her and took hold of her shoulders to ensure she looked at nothing else but him.  “Listen to me, Marinette, and listen hard.  You’re not Fu.  Stop trying to be like Fu.”

He emphasized each word of his last sentence, watched as she continued to stare at him, doe-eyed wide, before she finally blinked and broke their gaze.  Quietly, Luka led her back to her chaise and sat side by side, facing one another as he let her take a breather.  There was no way to describe everything on how he felt, nor hers.

However, regardless of the swirl of emotions and tension surrounding them, he felt like he finally got through to her with his statement.

“But he taught me everything, Luka.  It’s all I know before he left.”

Marinette looked lost, slightly defeated, but overall, just exhausted.  She looked like a person who’s just trying to push forward and survive.

“And do you agree with the things he taught you?”

He watched her hesitate, curl up and she looked down.

“Please, Marinette, be honest with me.  You’ve never had trouble talking to me about anything before.”

“No...I never approved of some of the things he taught me.  It was hard enough to tell him that he needed to include Chat Noir with his presence as guardian.”

Luka didn’t speak, he sat there on her bedroom floor, waiting for her to look at him again.  He wanted to be patient.  If there was going to be a chance to lift the weight of all these burdens and responsibilities from Marinette, there had to be passiveness.

Thankfully, after a few moments, Marinette finally looked back up.

“If you didn’t agree with hiding things from Chat Noir, then why burden yourself with the very thing you went against?  If you didn’t feel comfortable telling me, why didn’t you confide with Chat Noir?  Surely your partner would be willing to help you.”  

He watched Marinette shift on her chaise and pull up legs and wrapped her arms around them, lowering her head on his knees.

“Because I’m afraid, Luka.  I’m afraid of failing.  Fu mentioned the dangers and I don’t want to risk the ones I love with those dangers.”

Luka shifted as he moved closer to Marinette, sliding his legs underneath her chaise and resting his hands around her legs, gently rubbing his thumb along the smoothness of her skin.

“Marinette, I want to ask you some questions.  Can you handle that?”

She gave him a small nod and waited.

“Everything that Fu taught you, is it teachings that run from guardian to guardian?”

She raised her head slightly, confused as she gave him a questioning gaze, “What?”

“The teachings that Fu taught you as the future guardian, was it stuff that was taught to him?  Like actual guidelines to being a guardian.”

He watched as her brows lowered in deep thought, eyes moving around as she discussed within her own space.  Then, she looked back at him.

“N-no.  I remember him saying that when he was a kid, he made a mistake that caused all the guardians to disappear along with other miracle boxes.  Until the monster he created was destroyed by me and Chat Noir a couple of years ago.”

Taking in the information, Luka nodded to everything being told to him and calmly took a breath and prepared himself for the awaited discussion.

“Alright.  So, if I understood correctly, Fu had no one to train him as guardian, right?”  He watched her nod, and he couldn’t help but offer her a small smile.  “Then what dictates Fu’s rules and sayings as fact and truth?”

Marinette was about to respond, but he watched with a hopefulness that she didn’t have an answer to his question.  And it was right now that gave Luka enough courage to finally try and convince her that she doesn’t have to do this alone.

“Listen to me, Marinette,” he started softly, “Everything that Fu taught you doesn’t mean you have to do things like him.  From what it sounds like, he was doing things that he believed was right in hopes to survive and make work.  What he taught you were things he learned through mistakes, but that doesn’t mean his ways are absolute.  He taught you foundations of basics that would help you begin as guardian, but not to form your life around it.”

He gave her a stronger smile that displayed how proud he was for her.  There was never doubt that Marinette would be a great guardian, but every now and then, she let fears and worry lead her astray.  This is what made him feel persistent that his melody needed confidants and helpers.

“Fu saw something in you to make you Ladybug and guardian.  And I can’t even begin to express how proud I am to know that he chose you, because there’s no one else I can imagine being guardian or the heroine.  But you can’t be a great guardian if you’re trying to be someone you’re not.”  

He took a deep breath and held Marinette with a look of determination and took her hands, “So, tell me, what is it that guardian Marinette wants?”

Luka held his gaze with hers and waited, offering her hands a squeeze in silent support.  It was hard, he knew it.  There was no doubt this was all hard for Marinette and that it’s been a burden for so long.  But he had hope, he always had hope when it came to Marinette.  She was a stubborn one and knew she could triumph from this overwhelming past.

He felt the weight of her hands returning a squeeze and looked up to catch a new fresh trail of tears flowing down her cheeks.

“I want help,” she swallowed and hiccuped from the emotions flowing through her, “I don’t want to do this alone.” 

Relief filled Luka as he heard those precious words.  The tension that surrounded them slowly diminished from the room.  He couldn’t begin to wonder how long Marinette wanted to reach out for help.

Pushing himself up, Luka moved to the top of the chaise and pulled Marinette into a loving embrace.  He felt her hands grip the front of his shirt as she broke down in relief; releasing all the tension she held on her shoulders from the past three years.  And as she cried, he just held her close, laying his head above hers and rubbed his hand along her back, whispering soothing words.

As the sobs softened to mere sniffles, there was a welcoming new energized air that floated within the room.  It looked and felt brighter, like an internal grey cloud long gone with nothing but the warmth of love.

Seeing some movement to his side, Luka looked over to Marinette’s desk and saw Tikki quietly watching them with wonder and relief within those large ocean sea eyes.  Motioning the kwami over, the little god floated towards the couple and lowered herself to her chosen’s shoulder and nuzzled against the girl’s face.

Luka watched Marinette push herself up, his hands falling to her waist as his girlfriend reached for her kwami.

“Tikki,” she smiled.

“I’m so sorry, Marinette.  I should have done better to help you.  It was only until the recent akuma and talking with Luka that I realized how different everything is and that time is not what it was with Fu.”

Marinette pulled Tikki against her again as their version of a hug.  To Luka, he was glad Marinette had the little god in her life.  If it were anything like him with Sass, they had a bond with one another that knew no bounds.

“So,” spoke Luka, “What do you want to do?  As guardian, your word is the law.”

“He’s right, Marinette,” came Tikki’s voice, “As guardian you can choose to do whatever you wish.  It’s not up to us, kwami to tell you what to do.  If having help gives you more strength, then do it.”  

The god of creation gave her a supportive smile.

Luka and Tikki watched as Marinette fell silent and into her own space as her eyes became distant and moved in thought.  

It was like a new spark was beginning to take over his Melody and he couldn’t be more excited to see that gleam in her eyes.

“Tikki, can you send a message to Plagg and Longg to inform Chat Noir and Ryuuko to meet up at the Eiffel Tower at ten tonight?”

Giving the girl a nod, Luka watched Tikki float to Marinette’s desk and fall into a trance when Marinette turned her attention to him.

Marinette launched herself into her boyfriend’s arms and embraced him, “Thank you, Luka.”

“Anytime, love.”

Breaking the embrace, he watched as Marinette stood up and went over to the chest where the miracle box hid and returned with a smaller box in hand, sitting back on the chaise next to him.  Marinette handed what he knew was the snake miraculous.

“What?” he asked, confusion taking over and looking back to her.

“I’m taking your advice and for that, I need to give you, Sass.”

At a loss of words, he looked back to the miraculous box and opened the case when a familiar green glow burst and disappeared to reveal Sass.  The little reptile smiling back at him with long-awaited excitement.

“Luka!” Sass exclaimed before launching to the musician.  Both boys giggling at their own little reunion.

Looking up to Marinette, he was at a loss on what Marinette had planned.  He wanted to know what the holder of creation had up her sleeve.

“What’s your plan?”

Marinette smiled as she watched him and Sass reunite, “I’ll explain when we meet up with the others.  For now, I feel exhausted after releasing what I held back.  How do you feel about a nap and dinner before meeting up with Chat and Ryuuko?”

He smiled as Sass nuzzled against him and flew off towards Tikki.  Moving closer to Marinette, he pushed himself towards the head of the chaise and opened his arms for Marinette and smiled, “It sounds like a plan.”  

Taking the offer, Marinette pushed herself into Luka’s embrace as they laid in the chaise, closed their eyes, and fell into a slumber.

******

Hours later, the sky dark as the open ocean under the light of the moon, Marinette and Luka opened the sun window up the balcony of her bedroom, Tikki and Sass following close behind.

“Ready?” asked Luka.

He watched her smile as she looked up to the night sky and closed her eyes, inhaling the cool air.

“I am.  I’m ready to move forward with a fresh start.”

Luka moved next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“I’m proud of you, you know.  I know it’s hard for you at times to ask for help, but I’m glad you’re taking that step for yourself.  And no matter what you decide tonight, remember you have people who will support you.”

Marinette turned and wrapped her arms around Luka’s shoulders and pushed herself up on her toes.  Following her motion, Luka lowered his head until their lips touched for a small kiss.  When they broke apart, Marinette’s eyes gleamed with newfound happiness.

“Thanks for being my rock, Luka.”

Embracing Marinette in a quick hug, he looked out into the city of Paris, bright with city lights in the distance near the Eiffel Tower.

“Let’s go.”  Turning to her kwami, “Tikki, Spots On.”

In a flash of pink, Luka watched in elation as his girlfriend transformed into the spotted heroine.  When the transformation finished, his elation turned into awe.

“Your suit changed.”

He watched Marinette blink in surprise as she took in her new look.  Gone was the red suit and black dots.  In place, her suit looked more mature as her suit split into sections of red and black.

Similar to his suit as Cardinalis, fingers black like a fingerless glove, her palms and up to her forearms coated in red and black spots.  Her biceps sectioned in black, only for her shoulders and torso to regain the red and black spotted pattern; the shoulder area looking like shoulder-padded armor.  The thighs take on the full black, but switch to the red with black spots from her calves down, only to fade to full red at her feet.  And unlike her old design, her feet became boot-like with small one inch heels.  Lastly, in the center, was a black belt wrapped around her waist area where her yo-yo latched onto.      

“H-how?”  she asked in equal surprise and confusion.

“If I had to guess, I would say with you taking the step in acknowledging you need help and taking action to better yourself, the miraculous took it as a sign of growth.”  Taking in her attire as a whole, “You look beautiful.”

Taking that as his cue, he followed in Marinette’s footsteps and called upon his transformation.

“Sass, Scales Slither.”

With a flash of turquoise, his body took on the transformation, though when the transformation finished, like Ladybug’s, his suit altered from his original Viperion design.  Still bearing his Viperion color palette, his suit took on the design layout from when he was Cardinalis but taking on more black as the main base.

“Looks like I’m not the only one with an upgrade,” said Ladybug.

“Makes me wonder since the two of us gained upgrades if Chat Noir and Ryuuko will obtain them as well.”

Well, with what I have planned, I’m sure they will.”

Unhooking her yo-yo and wrapped her free arm around Viperion, “Better hold on.”

With a flick of her wrist, the two launched off her balcony and made their way towards the Eiffel Tower.

******

In minutes, Ladybug and Viperion landed on the cool metal beams of the Eiffel Tower and looked up at the approaching figures of Chat Noir and Ryuuko.

When Ladybug and Chat Noir made eye contact, the cat holder broke out in a run and embraced his partner.  Returning the gesture, Ladybug wrapped her arms around his chest, sinking in her partner’s embrace.

“Hey, Chat.”

“I was so worried about you.”

“I’m sorry I made you wait.  I had a lot going through my head and it’s time we talked.”

Releasing his partner, Chat Noir took a step back, concern etched in his face but pushed it aside for the moment when he took in his partner’s new attire.  

“I have to say, looking good with the new look, LB.  I take it this has something to do with what you want to talk about?”

She gave a nod, “You got it.”

Ladybug looked to her right and smiled at seeing Ryuuko standing, waiting patiently, with a smile of her own at the heroine.

“Hello, Ryuuko.  I’m glad you were able to make it tonight.  All four of us have some discussions ahead of us.  Let’s move towards the top of the structure where we have better stability and cover.”

Giving her a nod, all three heroes followed Ladybug to the top of the Eiffel Tower and waited for further instructions.  Silence filling the space around them except for the creaking of the iron of the structure swaying from the small breeze in the air.

They waited quietly as Ladybug took a breather and then opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m sure you all have questions, but, first,” -looking at Chat Noir- “I’d like to apologize to you.”

“Me?” Chat Noir stated, clearly off guard and confused.  “What do you have to apologize for?”

“For not listening to you a couple of years ago about revealing identities shortly after I became guardian.”

“LB, it’s okay.  You had your reasons and I respect that.  You don’t have to apologize for worrying about your safety and everyone else's.

Ladybug crossed her arms as she looked away from her partner.

“If only that were true, Chat.  It wasn’t because that’s what I wanted, it was because that’s what was engraved into me and I believed it.  If it weren’t for Viperion, I would never have realized how unhealthy that choice to believe everything would affect me in the end.”

Worry filled both Chat Noir and Ryuuko’s face, except for Viperion as he stood and listened to his girlfriend take the long-awaited step she’s been craving for so long.  He may not have shown much emotion other than a small smile, but he was damn proud of her.

“It was because of Viperion and Tikki that made me realize that as a guardian, everything taught to me doesn’t mean I have to follow it and live it word for word.  And as the guardian, I can make my own choices that I believe and feel could benefit us all.” -she swallowed and pushed out a tensioned breath- “So, as the guardian, I want to ask you, as my partner...would you still be willing to a reveal between all four of us?  I mean I know we know Viperion and Ryuuko, but you know what I mean.”

“Why us two?” asked Ryuuko.

“Because what I have planned revolves around the four of us.”

“Then let’s do it,” smiled Chat Noir, “If this is going to help you then my decision is already decided for me.”

Nerves started to take hold of Ladybug; she was about to learn who her long time partner was and she was buzzing with mixtures of nervousness and excitement.

“How about we count to three and all release our transformation?” offered Viperion.

Nodding quickly, Ladybug started the countdown and the others joined in.  When they reached one all closed their eyes and called off their transformations.

Luka and Kagami were the first ones to open their eyes and looked at each other and simply smiled at each other.  During the past three years and watching Marinette and Adrien become inseparable friends, they two became close friends with one another and couldn’t hold back the silent chuckles.  

Taking a quick look at their significant other, both Luka and Kagami stepped aside and embraced one another.

“Glad to finally give you a hug.  Learning you were Ryuuko shouldn’t have surprised me as much three days ago.  Only a badass spitfire could be the badass dragon.”

“And only a wise old snake would be the one to become a temporary Ladybug.”

Both giggled and looked over at Marinette and Adrien, still with eyes closed.  Most like each internally motivating them to prepare for the reveal.

“How much surprise do you think they’ll have once they see each other?” Luka whispered to Kagami.

“A lot.  There might be tears,” she responded. 

******

Taking a breather, Marinette spoke between her and her partner, “Ready?”

“Yea.”

He was just as breathless, but together, they opened their eyes and blue met green.  Both Adrien and Marinette stood frozen as they stared into the eyes of their best friend, not just as partners but as civilians.

Green eyes glistened as tears surfaced when everything that happened the past three days resurfaced in his head and let the tears flow.  Moving forward, Adrien embraced Marinette in his arms, far tighter than before.  For Marinette, she simply collapsed into Adrien’s arms and both broke out in soft sobs.  She slipped her arms stuck between them and wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him closer.

“O-oh god, Adrien,”  mumbled Marinette.

“I c-can’t believe I almost l-lost you.  M-my best friend,” he cried on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, so sorry.  I-I didn’t w-want anyone to worry.”

Adrien clung tighter and heaved, “You and your stubbornness.”

Marinette gave a watery laugh, earning one from Adrien as well.

“You enjoy this stubbornness you crazy cat,” she stated softly.

Breaking the embrace, the two heroes smiled at one another when Adrien shook his head, “I can’t believe it’s been you all this time.” -he looked at his friend seriously but out of care- “You should have asked for help, Marinette?”

“You know me and how I let myself let fear take over sometimes.”

Adrien shook his head, giving her a smirk, “I hope Luka knocked some sense into you.”

She huffed out and drawled, “Yes.”

He chuckled, “Good.”  -looking over to Luka and Kagami talking- “Should we continue the rest of what you have planned then?  I’m curious.”

Marinette smiled, “Of course.  Then let’s head to the others so I can explain the rest of my plan.”

Giving her a nod, Adrien and Marinette walked over to where Kagami and Luka stood to talk amongst themselves.

“Hey, guys,” breaking the two from their deep conversation and turning to Marinette.  Gesturing everyone to sit, they all followed Marinette and all sat in the form of a small circle.

“As I mentioned earlier, I was struggling a lot, but I always hid it from others.  It wasn’t till the recent incident that required Luka to take my place temporarily that my life revolved around a lot of responsibilities.  So much so, that I let the guardian life through Fu’s views take over and misguide me a bit.  If it weren’t for Luka’s insight, I don’t think I would have ever taken the necessary step to better my life.  So, what I’m about to ask is asking a lot.  But if you wish to not take it I completely understand.”

Taking a breather, she looked at Luka and Kagami.

“First off, I would like you two to become permanent members of the miraculous team,” -looking at Adrien- “What say you, partner?”

“I couldn’t ask for a finer duo to add to the team.  I’m all for it.”

He gave a wink to Kagami, only for his girlfriend to roll her eyes, but smiled.

“I have a question though,” asked Kagami, turning to Marinette.  “Why Luka and I?  Why not Alya and Nino?”

The ladybug holder gave a small smile, “I love those two, I do.  However, my reason for not making them permanent is because Alya has a tendency to be...hyperactive.  I know she can be serious, but I also know her love of superheroes and Ladyblog can sometimes get in the way.  But with what I have in mind, I didn’t want to risk the issues of identities knowing she has the Ladyblog.  As for Nino, he’s not great at keeping secrets and I know for fact he and Alya share a lot between each other.”

“You got that right,” mumbled Adrien under his breath.

“I love them both, but Adrien and I need two people who are mature and insightful.  That’s why I chose you and Luka as a permanent holder along with a reveal.”

Still confused, Kagami asked, “Then...what’s the last part of your plan?”

Looking at Adrien, Kagami, and Luka seriously, she swallowed and breathed out, “I’d like to make you three guardian of the miracle box with me.”

All three members went wide-eyed and mouths dropped from her answer, fully speechless.  Before any of them could speak, Marinette continued.

“Luka was right.  I can’t do this alone anymore.  I’m tired of being alone and with all these secrets.”  Sitting up straighter, she spoke with strength, “If you are willing, I’d like to teach you in the ways as guardians and learn the ways of the miraculous and all the history that follows it.  I’d like to have our own guardianship where we have each other to rely and fall back on.  But, most importantly, to support one another.  If an akuma attack were to happen and I couldn’t get away to retrieve a miraculous or other guardian business, we have others who can do that for us.” -Looking at each of them separately- “So, would you three be guardians with me?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Luka being the first to speak.  “If this is what it takes to lift some of these burdens off your shoulder, then I’m all in.”

“It would be an honor to serve alongside you as guardian, Marinette.  If this is what it takes to allow you to live a healthier life, I’ll gladly accept the role.”

Marinette felt relieved and excited.  Not only was she not going to be alone anymore, but she was going to have a family within a guardianship.  Turning to Adrien, she waited but knew everything was going to be okay when she watched Adrien give her a full smile.

“We’ve been partners this long, haven’t we?  I’ve always got your back, princess.  You can count this cat in.”

She sighed, all the tension she didn’t know she held was finally gone. 

“You have no idea how happy you all made me.  I’m so excited to share this with you.”  Reaching out her hand, “Reach out your hand, please,” -she watched as the others reach out their hands in which she placed all three between her hands- “I, Ladybug, hereby add Chat Noir, Ryuuko, and Viperion as guardians of the miracle box and miraculous.”

Adrien, Kagami, and Luka felt a sudden soft bolt of energy through their bodies.

Releasing their hands, Marinette gave them a smile and nod, “Welcome to the guardianship.”

Looking up at the darkening sky, she decided to end the meeting for tonight.

“We’ll meet up in a couple of days and work on schedules and plans.  But, for now, I think it’s time we all head home.”

They all stood up and Kagami was the first to hug Marinette and wish her a good night, moving over to Luka to do the same as Adrien walked over to his long time partner.  Giving her one final embrace, both Adrien and Kagami called on their transformations, coated in green and red light.  When the lights faded, both heroes prepared to say their final goodbyes but stopped once they caught Luka and Marinette’s grins.

“What?” asked Chat Noir.

“Looks like the two of you are now starting anew with us in the new attires,” answered Luka.

Both Chat Noir and Ryuuko looked down to find their old designs gone and replaced with new looks.

“We’ll discuss more next time, for now, the two of you better get home before your parents find out.  Though do enjoy your new outfits on the way home,” stated Marinette.

Giving the couple one more round of smiles, Chat Noir and Ryuuko laughed as they took off into the night together and towards home.  Luka and Marinette gave their own laughs as they watched the couple have fun and chase after one another.

“You did amazing tonight, my melody,” Luka turned to his girlfriend as she looked at him with those blue doe eyes.

“Well, I have you to thank.  It was fate that landed me in the Seine that day.  And it was fate that gave me all my friends, especially the three of you.”

Bringing Marinette into a lover’s embrace, they stood there in each other’s arms as the small breeze blew around them and their kwamis snuggled on their shoulders.

Fate brought him closer to his girlfriend, but it was fate that gave him the chance to change the hardship that Marinette struggled within her life.  And with Adrien and Kagami, the responsibilities that Marinette once held as burdens can now give her peace and strength.  Together, they’ll be able to tackle whatever fate decides to throw their way next.