#lbscexchange

She was clad in an ill-fitted suit of red with black spots marring the fabric. Given the sorry condition of her boots, Luka was surprised he hadn’t heard her sneak up behind him.

“Ladybug.” He swallowed uneasily. “What are you… what happened to your costume?”

One eyebrow twitched up a fraction in skepticism while her left hand hovered closer to the grapple at her waist.

“My costume?”

Luka still couldn’t seem to get even the beginning of a grasp on what was going on. Marinette didn’t know that he knew her identity as Ladybug, sure, but Ladybug should still be able to recognize him.

“Well, yeah,” he stammered, gesturing loosely to her torso. “You don’t usually look…. Like this. Do you not have your kwami or your powers right now?”

His question was met with prolonged silence. The only movement he could discern was the wary narrowing of her eyes.

“I don’t know who you are,” she said slowly, “but what you’re saying to me right now sure as hell doesn’t make any sense.”

Her fingers tightened around the grapple.

“Are you working for Monsieur Gabriel?”

“You… you mean Gabriel Agreste?” he asked. “No, you know I’m not. Come on, Ladybug, it’s me. Luka. What’s going on?”

He glanced back out at the charred and disparate city below.

“And what happened to Paris?”

He couldn’t remember what had happened before he had awoken again, but surely an akuma battle couldn’t have gone so far south, not this quickly, without him realizing it.

At his last question, however, Ladybug wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“We don’t know each other. And if you don’t understand why the city looks this way, clearly you’re not from here." She turned stiffly, glowering over her shoulder. “Now get out of this neighborhood before one of my clients hires me to kill you.”

Water had rushed up from below. Luka had been standing on the bridge overlooking the Seine, trying to determine how best to reach the fray of the akuma battle before he was sent toppling over the edge—

“Wait, Ladybug, I—”

Luka rushed over to grab her wrist but, before he could reach her, Ladybug had swiftly twisted his grip against him and shoved him to his knees.

“Don’t touch me,” she snarled. Her grip was merciless, and Luka only flinched further at the sound of her voice. “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but clearly you have a death wish.”

She used her free hand to slide a short dagger from its sheath at the base of her back.

Luka had no choice but to steady his breath. Responding with too much emotion would likely inflame the situation further.

“No, I don’t,” he murmured, leveling his gaze with hers. “I’m just worried. I don’t understand what’s going on. Why didn’t your Miraculous ladybugs fix all of this? And why are you saying you don’t know me?”

Another beat of uncomfortable silence met his words before she pushed his wrist away and retracted her hand. Before Luka could react, the dagger was pointed toward his face.

“Because I don’t know you.” Ladybug took a threatening step forward, and it took all of Luka’s self-control to keep from shrinking away. “And as I’ve said, you’re not making any sense. I’m a mercenary, not a miracle worker. I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, exactly, but you’re either mistaken or about to make a mistake.”

In the distance, another fire emerged. The flames wasted no time licking their way gluttonously up the side of the structure. Meanwhile, Ladybug didn’t so much as give a glance toward the building, which Luka doubted was empty.

Whatever lives were in there were clearly no concern of hers.

What the team needed was Viperion; Luka knew as soon as he saw Chat Noir disappear under the blow of ShadowMoth’s latest villain. The team needed more time, but before Luka could get close enough, he found himself plunging into the murky waters of the Seine. The last thing he heard was Pegasus’s voice.

“You’re a mercenary,” Luka repeated, dumbfounded. This was Ladybug, yes… Just not his Ladybug. “Why are you a mercenary?”

She recoiled, her breath hissing through her nose in frustration before she lunged forward to yank Luka’s head back by his hair. The edge of her dagger now kissed his throat.

“Why do you ask? You’re asking an awful lot of questions for someone unarmed.”

“It’s a long story,” Luka gasped, straining against her grip. “One you’re not likely to believe. Just like I can’t believe you’d truly choose to be a mercenary.”

Ladybug knelt on one knee so that their eyes would be about even.

“What are you so sure I wouldn’t believe?” she whispered menacingly. “Try me. Either you convince me or you die.”

Luka’s mind began to race.

He knew that this was Paris, but not his Paris.

He knew that this was Ladybug, but not his Ladybug.

So, how did he get… here? And where was here?

Luka struggled to remember.

Pegasus’s voice was the last thing he heard, the hero's call to Voyage tearing open a portal beneath the bridge.

A bead of sweat dripped down Luka’s temple under Ladybug’s scrutiny. His knees begged for relief as they bore nearly all of his weight against the metal, but he didn’t dare move for fear that the dagger would only press further into the thin skin over his throat.

“Well?” Ladybug demanded.

“I’m not from here,” Luka said quietly. “I… I fell.”

Yes, he fell into Pegasus’s portal from Voyage, but that shouldn’t be enough to radically change the world’s existence as he knew it. After all, this world didn’t have any Miraculous. In fact, for all he knew, magic didn’t exist here whatsoever.

What else had happened?

Fighting against every instinct, Luka closed his eyes, struggling to reach back into what must have happened mere minutes prior.

Before Luka lost his grip on the bridge, Bunnyx — the newest of all the Miraculous holders — had leaped forward in a desperate attempt to help. He didn’t hear her as he fell, but he saw Pegasus’s portal ripple as a new power was overlaid on top of it.

That had to be it.

He was no Guardian, he didn’t have the knowledge Marinette did, but to intertwine the powers of the horse and rabbit Miraculouses? Well, that would likely yield an unstable product of some sort. The likes of which he had quite literally fallen into.

“You fell into what?” Ladybug’s voice directed his focus back onto the pinprick of pressure just above his Adam’s apple.

There was no way this version of Ladybug — this version of Marinette — was going to believe he had stumbled his way into an alternate dimension or universe of some sort.

For once in his life, Luka had to admit that the truth would be of little aid to him. The best he could hope to do was calm her down and potentially stall for time until the heroes of his world managed to figure out where he went.

If he was lucky, the Miraculous ladybugs would return him to the bridge in his world as soon as they had won whatever akuma battle raged on.

“I fell… I fell into the wrong hands,” Luka lied. “I was trying to protect my family but accidentally got mixed up with… with… Monsieur Gabriel.”

The dagger wavered momentarily.

“So you’re not working for him?”

“No, I never meant to get involved with his people. But I don’t know how to prove it to you.”

“Then how did you end up here?” Ladybug jerked her chin to gesture at the Eiffel Tower itself while her eyebrows remained furrowed beneath her thin mask.

“I don’t know,” Luka admitted quickly. “His people must have dumped me here when they realized I was of no real use to them. I just want to get back and make sure my loved ones are okay.”

It was a thin lie, easily punched through with little more than a few follow-up questions, and she likely knew it.

But, miraculously, Ladybug relented.

“Fine,” she said, taking a step back and sheathing the dagger once more behind her back. Luka fought the urge to smooth down the hair at the nape of his neck that she had finally released. “I’ll give you this one chance to leave. And if I ever see you again with so much as a suspicious grin on your face, I will not hesitate to kill you, regardless of whether or not someone has paid for your head.”

Luka couldn’t find it in him to do anything other than nod mutely.

Meanwhile, Ladybug took a few more steps backward toward the edge of the beam, her gaze remaining resolutely on Luka before she finally removed the grapple from her belt and swung her way down the tower.

Holding his breath, Luka counted to ten before he slumped gratefully against the cold metal. And not long after, he found himself swathed in a fluttering wash of red and white.

The stench of smoke was swiftly replaced by the familiar clean breezes he often relished by the side of the Seine.

_______

A couple of days later, Viperion found himself warily watching passersby from atop the Eiffel Tower, the evening skyline blissfully devoid of fire or veils of gray.

“I’m a mercenary, not a miracle worker.”

He didn’t know what horrors Marinette would have to face to eventually push her to become a harbinger of senseless death, seeking nothing more than the reward of financial gain, but he knew he was grateful to live in a world where the hero he knew was beloved for more than her generosity.

And he loved her for more than that, too.

“Viperion?”

Ladybug dropped down beside him, expectantly stretching out one hand. Her trusting smile, familiar with or without a mask, was a balm to his heart.

“Right,” he said, turning toward her. “Sass, scales rest.”

Luka savored the cool release of the Miraculous’s powers. The fade of blue down his torso reminded him of the lilting lines of a ballad, particularly as he was always a little sad to see Sass leave him after a battle — along with the gentle melody of the girl who called upon him so frequently.

“You did well today, Viperion,” Ladybug said, dropping the bracelet into her yo-yo. “Thank you again for always wielding Second Chance with the precision and care our team needs.”

Luka smiled.

“I’m always happy to help, Ladybug.”

Without thinking, he gently brushed her bangs away from her face before running his thumb along her jawline. The rhythm of his heart quickened as he saw a faint blush rise beneath the girl’s mask.

She took a tentative step forward and tipped her face up toward his.

Marinette was curled up on Luka’s bed, reading a novel for her French Literature class, while Luka sat, idly running his fingers through her hair as he went over notes for his chemistry test later that week. They had music playing in the background because they wouldn’t be them without some kind of music. The day was peaceful and the late afternoon sun streaming through the portholes had a soporific effect on Marinette, especially combined with Luka’s rhythmic stroking of her hair.

The screams that shattered the stillness of the afternoon had Marinette jolting upright, scattering Luka’s notes and dropping her book on the ground. Eyes round she stared at Luka, her mind racing to find an excuse to leave. Rose and Juleka ran down from the deck, plastering themselves to the portholes facing the shore. Luka walked to join them, turning his back on Marinette, keeping the others’ attention focused outside of the room. 

Marinette took advantage of the distraction and slipped from the room, racing from the boat to transform in a nearby alley. Ladybug swung to a higher vantage point to observe the situation. It was then that she saw the streets littered with shimmering pillars of light.

She saw the white blast a couple of blocks over, and the couple who had been trying to escape became twin sparkling pillars. She saw a dark shape detach from the shadows behind where the akuma was, and she made her way to rendezvous with Chat Noir. 

"Hello there Bugaboo, you are looking lovely today."

Sighing Ladybug rolled her eyes at her partner. "Don't call me Bugaboo. What have we got?"

Chat filled her in on what he had seen, and Ladybug called for her Lucky Charm. When a green rubber snake dropped into her hand she looked around but nothing jumped out at her. Chat took one look at it and sighed. "Viperion? Again?"

Ladybug shrugged. Her Lucky Charm HAD been suggesting Viperion quite a bit recently, and she wasn't sure if that was because of how useful Second Chance was, or because Tikki was biased towards Luka. "Maybe we should talk later about making him a more permanent member."

Chat nodded and told her to go, silently stewing over the fact that his partner was turning to someone else for help. He shook his head. Maybe this was why he didn't like seeing Luka with Marinette, he was unsettled by how much Ladybug was relying on Viperion.

He shook off his funk when he saw the pair approaching. Ladybug was racing towards him with Viperion hot on her heels. He gave them a quick update and the three of them went after the akuma.  It only took one reset of the timeline, and the akuma was defeated. 

The three separated to recharge their kwamis, then met up on a prearranged rooftop. When Chat arrived, he just stared at the way Ladybug was looking at Viperion. Viperion had his hand on her shoulder, almost unconsciously, and they were deep in conversation. 

On silent feet, Chat slipped towards them, casually draping an arm across Ladybug's shoulders. A microscopic shake of her head and Ladybug stepped away from both boys, her expression turning professional. 

"Chat Noir, Viperion, I asked you to meet me because I wanted to talk to you guys about something.  Five times in the past three weeks, Lucky Charm has led me to recruit Viperion. I feel that it wouldn't be too big of a leap to allow him to keep the miraculous full time. At least for now."

She paused and looked between the young men standing by her side. "I've talked with Tikki, and she agrees with me, but what do you think?"

Even though she’d mentioned it before, seeing how cozy they looked just now, Chat flinched back. “What about you and me against the world, Milady?”

Viperion gave Chat a cautious look, but Ladybug sighed. “More and more often we need extra hands. Viperion has capable ones. His power is incredibly useful, and he’s good in a fight, but the way that he thinks… calm, logical, and just a step out of sync with the rest of us.” She glanced at Viperion’s face, and hurriedly rambled on, fully facing Viperion. “Not in a bad way. That’s not what I mean, just that you see things the rest of us don’t, you understand things that we don’t.”

Viperion smiled at her, flushed and rambling as she was, and then glanced at Chat, who’s smile appeared extremely strained. “I am always here for you, Ladybug. Whatever the two of you need.” His smile swept from Ladybug to include Chat Noir as well. “You guys are partners, and I don’t want to mess up your dynamic, but if it makes your lives easier, then I would be happy to join you.”

Ladybug smiled warmly at Viperion, and he offered her a gentle smile in return, then turned to Chat, quietly waiting for his answer. Other than not wanting to share Ladybug with anyone, Chat couldn’t think of a single reason why Viperion shouldn’t join them, and a whole list of reasons that he should, he nodded, reluctantly. “I agree, Viperion, you are a valuable member of the team.”

The smile Ladybug turned on the pair of them was radiant. She looked almost giddy as she clapped her hands, and Chat smiled back at her until he noticed the soft look that Viperion was giving her, too. “Well, Milady, it looks like we have another person to split patrols with. Shall we switch off who we go out with, or all three together?”

Looking at him, thoughtfully, Ladybug tilted her head, her eyes scanning the pair of them. “I think at least the first patrol should be the three of us. If people spot us, they’ll know that nobody is hurt, sick or incapacitated in any way, and after that, we can pair up in different ways for patrol.”

Both boys nodded at her logic. “So, normal time tomorrow?” Ladybug nodded and turned to Viperion. “The rooftop of the LaPierre Building opposite the Notre Dame Cathedral. 10 pm.”

Once they were all in agreement, they split off in their opposite directions. When Luka arrived back at the Liberty, Marinette was sitting on his bed, talking with Juleka and Rose. Juleka shot him a questioning look, but he just shook his head at her, taking a seat next to Marinette on the bed. 

Marinette idly traced her fingers over his hands and wrists as they talked, her fingers coming back to trace the new silver band around his wrist. He smiled down at her, and nuzzling her hair, he whispered words for her alone. "Thank you for trusting me."

Her eyes snapped to his, wide and blue. His finger traced a mask around her eyes and then tapped her earring, not speaking, and not breaking eye contact. She saw the knowledge deep in his eyes and sighed. "Of course I trust you." 

She leaned over, kissing him tenderly. When Marinette pulled back, her eyes fluttered open to meet his. "How…?"

"You can't hide your heart, Marinette. Your soul sings the same tune no matter what you wear." 

Sighing, Marinette leaned back in to kiss Luka, and they melted into each other.  

The next night, Chat was the first to arrive on the rooftop, one he had decorated for a long-ago date to which Ladybug had never arrived. Viperion arrived not long after, offering a half-smile and a hand on Chat's shoulder. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. You guys are true heroes, and anything I can do to help I will."

Soon they heard a familiar zip, and Ladybug landed on the roof next to them. She offered a bright smile to both boys that softened slightly as she looked at Viperion. He smiled in response, while Chat stepped forward to kiss her hand. Viperion’s smile tightened, but he didn’t say anything as Ladybug pulled her hand back, and suggested they start patrol. As the three of them prowled the city, swapping stories and catching Viperion up to speed on how they made their presence known, Chat couldn’t help but notice the little looks that Ladybug kept throwing Viperion’s way. 

He tried to ignore them, thinking that she was offering encouragement to their newest full-time teammate, but when he said something too softly for even Chat’s sensitive hearing to pick up, and Ladybug blushed, he felt jealousy seething in his belly.

As they wrapped up patrol, Ladybug suggested a schedule. They keep their regular three patrols a week, but pair off differently each time, so one patrol would be the normal Chat and Bug team, one she would pair off with Viperion, and the third would have Chat and Viperion out together. The boys quickly agreed that this sounded logical, and the three went their separate ways. 

The next several patrols went smoothly, and Adrien’s life settled into a comfortable rhythm. He wasn’t a fan of the way Ladybug would glance at Viperion, but knowing that Luka was happily dating Marinette, it didn’t bother him too much. He vaguely wondered if Luka was the oblivious ‘other boy’ that Ladybug loved. 

He shrugged it off, along with the weird feeling that he got whenever he saw Luka and Marinette together. Adrien had never seen his friend happier, and she had no trouble talking with him now. Smiling, he half turned in his seat, catching a glimpse of Marinette’s profile as she talked animatedly with Alya. 

That evening, he was watching the sunset from his window, when he saw a familiar pair of figures running across the rooftops a few blocks away. He hadn’t heard any screaming, and they didn’t appear to be hurrying off anywhere, but it was still early for patrol, so he called on his transformation, and followed them out into the evening. 

His sensitive ears picked up Ladybug’s laughter, and Viperion’s soft chuckle, although he couldn’t make out any words. They were stopped on a roof near where the three of them had met up that first day Viperion got to keep his miraculous, and Chat stealthily approached, staying low on the slightly higher roof of the building next door, guilt twisting in his gut for eavesdropping, but at the same time he couldn’t pull himself away. 

Ladybug had one hand on Viperion’s bicep, and he was smiling down at her, tucking her hair behind her ear in a gesture that was entirely too intimate for partners. He crept closer, keeping to the shadows as he observed them, drawn in, unable to turn away, although part of him desperately wished to be anywhere else. Ladybug was saying something to Viperion, laughing and brushing the hair off his face in a gesture much the same as Viperion’s of a few moments earlier.

Unable to hear their conversation over the blood pounding in his head, Chat stepped out of the shadows and cleared his throat. Immediately protective, Viperion stepped in front of Ladybug, tucking her completely behind him, even as she put out her hands to soothe any ruffled temperments. 

Chat’s gaze bounced back and forth between Viperion and Ladybug, where she’d taken a step out from behind  Viperion, and now looked guiltily at her partner. It settled on Viperion with a look of distaste, yet Viperion met his gaze, unashamed. 

Turning towards Ladybug, Chat tried to reason with her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intentionally follow you. I saw you out running early, and I was afraid it was an akuma. I wasn’t trying to intrude, but there is something I need to tell you.” He broke off to shoot a look at Viperion. “He has a girlfriend.”

Viperion ducked his head, and Ladybug blushed but continued to meet Chat’s eyes. “I know, Chat.” She said softly. 

Chat shook his head. “No, I mean, I know who he is under the mask.”

“So do I, Chat. I gave him the miraculous.”

“Milady, you don’t understand. He’s dating a good friend of mine. I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”

“A good friend of…” She broke off and stared, wide-eyed at Viperion for a moment, before looking back at Chat. 

“Her name.” He ground out, as he looked at the stunned face of Ladybug, and the carefully blank face of Viperion. “Is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and I’m sorry, but I can’t let you hurt her.” He glared at Viperion, taken aback when the older boy started to chuckle softly and shake his head. 

Ladybug turned her body towards him and placed her hand on his chest. After a long look at her, Viperion asked, “Are you sure?” She nodded and turned back towards Chat Noir. 

"Thank you Chat." She smiled at the boy as he frowned at her, unsure of what exactly was happening. It means a lot that you would watch out for me like this." She hesitated and took a deep breath. "Both sides of me."

Chat looked stunned for a minute, and then looked closely at Ladybug. All he could see was the face of his friend Marinette staring back at him. The girl he’d spent almost a year brushing aside was, in fact, the girl he was brushing her aside for. As he stared, he saw Ladybug slip her hand into Viperion’s, and smile sweetly up at him, before turning back to face Chat. 

“This wasn’t how I intended to tell you or cause you any grief. I found out that Viperion knew, had known, in fact, long before I offered him a miraculous the first time. I’ve doubled the burden on you, now, having to keep the secret of both my identity and yours. I’m sorry.” Chat just stood there staring at her, in shock as Ladybug gave him a brief hug before swinging off into the now-dark evening.

Adrien stood on the steps of the school talking to Marinette as she waited for Luka to arrive. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her, a sad smile playing on his lips. “Thank you for trusting me last night.” At her puzzled look, he added, “I will always look out for all of you.”

Her eyes grew round, realizing what he’d just admitted to her, the unspoken words ‘Chat Noir’ hanging in the air between them. She hugged him fiercely, before touching his cheek, and smiling up at him. “Thank you. Partners?”

He nodded, a sad smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You and me against the world.”

Marinette waved and headed down the stairs towards Luka, who met Adrien’s gaze and gave him an enigmatic smile. His arm slid around Marinette’s shoulders, as she slipped hers around his waist, popping up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

That morning, as he had been organizing his own school books and binders, he found the small hair clip sitting forlornly on the deck of the Liberty. It must have fallen out of Juleka’s backpack, he realized, considering the haste with which she had raced off to meet Rose.

Thus, he now found himself down the street from the school, approaching the corner where a charming bakery huddled adjacent to the campus.

Only, just as he reached the crosswalk, an old man with a cane hobbled out into the road, where—

“Whoah, watch out!”

Luka skidded to a stop, tearing off his helmet as he ran to grab the man’s left arm. At the same time, another girl in pigtails, one arm burdened with a pastry box, ran out into the oncoming traffic to grab onto the man’s right.

Narrowly missing the bumper of a passing car, Luka huffed in relief as all three of them staggered back onto the edge of the sidewalk — but not before the girl in pigtails tripped, landing heavily on her hands and knees.

The crosswalk flicked green, then, and pedestrians began to obliviously mill past.

“Are you okay?” Luka bent down to grab the girl by the elbow, just as a cane appeared in his peripheral vision. “Are you hurt?”

The old man they had rescued edged closer to clear his throat before the girl could respond.

“Thank you, both of you,” he said before eyeing the box the girl had dropped. Pistachio green macaron shells lay shattered along the cement. “Oh! What a disaster.”

“Don’t worry, I’m no stranger to disaster. Besides, there are still a few left,” the girl responded buoyantly as she sat up and recovered the surviving cookies. She turned to Luka. “Oh! And y-yes! I’m okay! I’m just such a clutz, thank you for helping me.”

Her cheeks were dusted with a subtle pink as she looked up at Luka, his hand still resting gingerly on her arm.

She’s cute, he thought to himself before glancing back toward the crosswalk. And kind. Maybe I should—

The school bell rang, then, and the girl whipped her head back around, her eyes wide.

“Oh no, I’m going to be late!” She stood and hurriedly shut the lid of the pastry box before angling back toward the road. “H-have a nice day!”

“Wait!” Luka grabbed the girl’s wrist before she could barrel across to the campus. “You go to Collège Françoise Dupont?”

“I-uh, yes?”

“You don’t happen to know Juleka Couffaine, do you?”

The girl straightened and turned fully back toward Luka, her eyes flicking to where his fingers curled around her wrist. Her blush reemerged, albeit more brightly this time.

“I do! W-we’re in the game sass together! Well, I-I mean the same class,” she clarified nervously. “We’ve b-been in the same class. Together. Maybe we’ll be in the same class together again, this year, I mean.”

Luka just chuckled and grabbed the clip from where he had stuffed it in his pocket on the way out.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Ma-ma-Marinette.”

“Well, ma-ma-Marinette, if you happen to see Juleka, can you please give this to her?” With one hand still on her upturned wrist, Luka pressed the clip into her palm. “You can tell her that her brother Luka dropped it off.”

________

If she thought about it hard enough, Marinette could imagine she still felt the pressure on her hand from where the boy — well, where Luka — had pressed Juleka’s hair clip into her palm, even though weeks had gone by.

Juleka was, in fact, in her class again, which seemed to work to Marinette’s advantage.

As time went on, Luka made increasingly regular appearances after school, primarily to pick up Juleka and walk her back to the Liberty at the end of the day.

And if Marinette made the conscious decision to linger around the front steps of the school under the guise of sketching or organizing her backpack, who needed to be the wiser? (Albeit Tikki did occasionally chide her for running even later than usual.)

But every day that Luka took the time to stop, say hello, and ask to see her sketches, she knew that the loss of time was worth it. “Hey, Marinette!”

Absolutely worth it.

________

Despite the fact that everything had turned out well in the end, Luka wasn’t sure that his righteous anger that morning had been worth it.

And as much as he refused to show it, he felt a twisting pit of shame and apprehension in his stomach.

Ladybug and Chat Noir had just released him from Hawkmoth’s akuma, and he was about to take center stage with the rest of Kitty Section for their well-earned television debut. While this moment should have been exhilarating — triumphant, even — all he could think about was what Marinette must think of him now.

Marinette, who always went out of her way to help those around her.

Marinette, who spent what precious little time she had making costumes for the band.

Marinette, who was kind and gentle, and had now seen him at his worst.

Who had now seen him as a villain… literally.

Luka took a steadying breath, one thumb skimming nervously over his Kitty Section mask as he prepared to step out in front of the cameras… until he felt warm fingers encircling his wrist.

He half-turned, the pit in his stomach sinking even further.

“Luka?” Marinette stood there before him, one hand bashfully coming up to her face. “Did you really mean those things you said when you were akumatized?”

Wait, was she… blushing? No, that couldn’t be.

Not after today.

“I'm sorry, Marinette, but I don't remember,” Luka said slowly as the pit twisted itself into butterflies. “What did I say?”

“Uh, oh, n-nothing,” Marinette stuttered. She looked down and rubbed nervously at the back of her neck. “It was nothing at all. You were possessed by Hawkmoth's akuma.”

“I don't know what I possibly could've said. I just hope it wasn't anything mean, because—”

He had to tell her how he felt. Now. Because if he didn’t, what else was she supposed to think? What if what he said while he was akumatized made her think that he didn’t—

“—You're the most extraordinary girl, Marinette.” He grabbed her shoulders earnestly. “As clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You’re the music that’s been playing inside my head since the first day we met.”

The words sat right on his tongue, as well-rehearsed as his fingers on the frets of his guitar. He squeezed his hands once more on her shoulders before turning around to take the stage.

Though he had just recovered from being Silencer, he thought, perhaps he still had one thing left to silence: His doubts.

________

Ladybug had little doubt in her decision today, even if she found herself gritting her teeth and bearing with the stench of Paris’s sewers — again.

Really, she and Chat Noir had made somewhat of a habit of coming down into the watery maze beneath the city, and she was beginning to think that it was time to find an alternative place to run and hide.

As much as she cared for the silly kitty, sometimes the time they spent alone became a little overwhelming, what with his constant flirtation and declarations of love. And coming down to the sewers didn’t exactly make his attempts seem any more romantic.

… Wait, in that case, maybe being in the sewers wasn’t too bad of an idea.

In any case, she had tried time and again to tell Chat Noir that she was in love with someone else — someone with deft fingers, blue hair, and eyes that were bluer still — but the blonde still didn’t seem to be deterred.

Which was what gave Ladybug the idea to bestow a Miraculous upon Luka.

He was a natural match for combat after all, right?

Luka, who was so level-headed.

Luka, who always took the time to think before acting or speaking.

Luka, who genuinely put the needs of others before himself.

He had demonstrated as much on the day they met, after all. Who else would make themself late to school not only to help an old man out of the street, but to also make sure his little sister had her favorite hair clip on hand?

Luka was selfless, caring, observant, cute—

Yes, that settled it: Luka was the perfect candidate for a Miraculous.

Today, Chat Noir seemed to think they should give this particular one to Adrien Agreste, but Marinette wasn’t so sure. Would the celebrity model really be cut out for an akuma battle, let alone one that had brought them down into the sewers?

Probably not.

Closing her eyes and ignoring the acrid stench of garbage as she sucked in a determined breath, Ladybug called Luka out of the locker Chat Noir had left him in. Hesitantly, he approached the spot where Ladybug stood by a metal ladder that led to the surface.

“Luka Couffaine,” she began. Gently, she turned his hand over and pressed a box into his palm, much in the way he had pressed a clip into hers some months ago. “This is the Miraculous of the Snake, which grants the power of Second Chance. You will use it for the greater good. Once the job is done, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?”

Of course, she knew the answer even before Luka smiled and nodded.

His hands tightened around hers knowingly.

________

Of course, knowing and understanding were two very different things.

After Miracle Queen had come and unnerved all of the Miraculous wielders by revealing their identities, Ladybug, in particular, had seemed uncharacteristically dispirited. Even Chat Noir seemed to hold himself at arm’s length from the heroine, albeit Luka didn’t understand why.

Nor did he understand why, over the past several weeks, she had appeared at his window in frequent blurs of red and black, offering him time with Sass under the condition that he come out to patrol in Chat Noir’s place.

Of all the previously-exposed Miraculous holders, he was the only one she had recalled to the field, even though it was never for the express purpose of an akuma battle.

Now, racing along Paris’s rooftops, Viperion did his best not to pry, though he couldn’t help but feel concerned at the discordant melody that was all but radiating off the girl. Weeks had passed, but something about Ladybug was still off-beat.

Patrol that night was almost over and it was only getting more and more difficult not to ask questions, especially considering she—

“We’re here.”

Ladybug landed gracefully on the final rooftop of the evening, her expression indifferent as she hooked her yo-yo around her hip and looked out at the distant wash of lights across Paris. She released a silent sigh through her nose, the rise and fall of her shoulders otherwise betraying her neutral demeanor.

Viperion landed beside her, consciously restraining himself from coaxing a sad melody out of his lyre and asking, “Do you feel kind of like this?”

“Why don’t we stop to catch our breath?” he asked instead. “Before we go our separate ways, I mean.”

Ladybug’s gaze flicked up to him in question before softening a fraction.

“Sure,” she murmured, her softly-emerging smile a small victory in Viperion’s heart. “I brought a snack, anyway. Just in case we got hungry.”

As Viperion lowered himself to sit on the ledge of the roof, Ladybug padded to the opposite side, bending down to grab a pastry box before returning and perching herself next to him. As she opened the lid, Viperion didn’t try to suppress his own smile.

Pistachio green macarons sat in a neat row within the box, their fragile shells still perfectly in-tact.

“These look delicious,” he said, gently removing one with his right thumb and forefinger. His left hand skimmed distractedly over the hidden pocket of his Miraculous suit.

The two sat that way for several minutes, the silence of the night punctuated only by the occasional passing car or giggling civilian. Ladybug and Viperion, meanwhile, relished in the quiet anonymity provided by both the height and the shadows of the building they sat atop.

Eventually, Ladybug sighed once more — this time more audibly — and leaned to rest her head against Viperion’s shoulder.

“You’re unbelievably brave, you know.”

“What?” Ladybug lifted her head to look at him through her falling bangs.

“I said you’re incredibly brave,” he repeated, his eyes fixed forward. “And I just want you to know you don’t have to shoulder all of the burden on your own.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Ladybug’s brows furrowed. “I mean, I asked you to come out and help patrol with me, didn’t I?”

Viperion just chuckled once more, as he often did while contemplating how best to string his words together like a discernible song of their own.

“Yes, and I’m grateful you did,” he conceded. “But you and I both know that’s not all. And maybe that’s why I don’t feel any doubt, anymore.”

“What … what did you doubt?”

Luka paused a moment, his hand once more pressing against his pocket. This time, he pulled the contents out and curled his fingers around it protectively.

“I guess… I doubted that you wanted me to be there for you,” he said. “But, lately, you’ve been leaning on me more, both in and out of the suit—”

Ladybug gasped.

“—And that makes me happy.”

Viperion turned, grabbing Ladybug’s wrist with a feather-light touch. Turning her palm up, he pressed a small clip into her hand before closing her fingers. Then he pulled her in for a reassuring hug, careful to hold her gently enough that she could pull away if she wanted to.

He heard her sniff before he felt her burrow into his neck. His skin was cooled by the unexpected dampness of her cheeks.

“Juleka gave me her lucky hair clip several weeks ago,” he explained. “She said she hoped it would help me to find the luck and courage I needed to tell the girl I love about my feelings, which… I guess I already did. So this time, I’ll just tell you that I know what you’re facing and, if you ever need someone to shoulder more of the burden for you, I’ll always be here. My life is already filled with music, but you add the sweetest harmony of all, Marinette.”

Ladybug hiccuped, wrapping her arms hastily around Viperion’s waist. One hand remained fisted around the clip while the other pressed between his shoulder blades, silently asking him to hold her tighter.

So he did.

Humming the heartsong he had written for Marinette weeks ago, Viperion pressed his cheek into her hair and rubbed circles into her back. His body shook slightly as the girl gasped and wept, but he didn’t dare let go. Not until she was ready.

Several minutes later, her body had finally relaxed into his, the sobs gone and her breath evening out. His humming trailed off as she slowly unwound her arms from around him.

“I’m sorry, Luka,” she whispered as she pulled back and wiped at her face. “It’s all just been so much.”

“I know. And I’ll be here for you every step of the way, in whatever way you’ll have me.”

Finally, the girl smiled — the first real, genuine smile he had seen from her in weeks.

Viperion’s heart soared with relief.

“You’re right you know,” she said, uncurling her fingers to once more reveal the clip. “You didn’t need this lucky clip to tell me how you feel. Though, to be honest, I feel like I’m the lucky one.”

Slowly setting the clip down beside them, Ladybug reached up, pressing one hand to Viperion’s cheek and the other to the back of his head.

His eyes fell closed as he bent his head low, his lips catching hers just as she pressed closer to meet him. This time, his hands floated to her waist, the moment weaving a delicate new melody around him.

Her lips were softer than he’d ever imagined... and tasted faintly of pistachios.