A/N: This was written before the Anansi chapter...
Two
Alya and Nino sat on a blanket, under the shade of a tree a couple of weeks later. Things had returned back to normal; Nino became his usual animated, excited self. Alya, on her part, had completely forgotten his strange behavior.
The auburn haired beauty sat leaning against a tree and reading a book with legends about the Miraculous holders. Since the incident, Nino had also taken up reading books about Miraculous holders with Alya to help her out with the ladyblog. Surprisingly enough, the summary notes he'd been turning into her were very detailed, including drawings, and he quickly became an expert on the meaning of each Miraculous –even quicker than she had when she began to develop an interest. It meant the world to her that he would do all this reading and notes for her. Today, however, instead of working on some Miraculous research with Alya, Nino was assembling a playlist for the party of the Princess of Paris –Chloe Bougeoir.
Alya glanced down at her boyfriend -who was using her lap as a pillow- to see him nodding his chin to the beat of whatever he was listening to through his headphones. His eyes were focused intently on the screen as he decided whether or not to include this particular track for what would doubtless be the party of the year for their class.
She smiled and reached down to run her hand through his hair. His gold eyes flickered up and met her amber ones. Nino smiled, and put his laptop on the blanket. He leaned up as Alya lowered her book and bent down. Their lips met, and Alya pressed a gentle hand to his cheek, caressing him gently with her thumb and savoring this moment in the sweet summer breeze. They closed their eyes and pressed their foreheads together to make the moment last. But, alas, the moment could only be as fleeting as it was precious.
In the distance there was a loud and terrible boom that jolted them apart. It couldn't have been more than a mile away. The couple separated and Nino instinctively jumped up in a protective stance, his arms outstretched at the ready and his knees slightly bent, facing the rising smoke coming from the East. From behind her boyfriend, Alya could swear she saw the new green bracelet that his aunt had given him sparkle.
"We have to get you home." Nino said, reaching down to shove his laptop in his backpack and gather up the blanket.
Alya's mind was racing, but she decided it was the best bet. Her house was in the opposite direction of the explosion but it meant that she would have an alibi and once she turned into Rena Rogue, she could make sure Nino got home safely before going to protect the rest of Paris.
Nino took the blanket in his right arm and stretched out his left hand for Alya to take. She reached out and took her boyfriend's hand and he ran, opposite to the explosion. It didn't take them long to run the four blocks to Alya's house, but several more explosions rumbled in the distance making both uneasy.
When they reached the gate to Alya's apartment, she took the blanket from her boyfriend. He put his hand on the back of her head gently, and pressed his forehead to hers before whispering "Don't go running after the heroes, pleasestay safe."
Alya pressed her lips together before giving him the slightest of nods. She gave Nino a quick peck before letting herself in and jogging around the corner of the nearest hallway. As soon as she was certain there were no witnesses, Alya dropped the blanket and cried "Trixx, let's pounce!"
Out of her shirt pocket flew the little fox kwami, Trixx. Trixx began to grow and spin around Alya, merging with her and transforming her into a superhero. Rena Rogue stood taller than Alya, stronger too, but at the heart of her was the same girl that was best friends with Marinette and in love with Nino Lahiffe.
Rena crouched low and peered back over the corner to see the Gate. Nino was nowhere in sight. She tiptoed towards the gate and saw that he was jogging down the street… towards the commotion. He rounded a corner and Rena Rogue used her flute as a means to launch herself over the gate and into the sky. She propelled herself with the flute, travelling faster after Nino than she could have ran. She landed about two feet from the corner he'd rounded and jogged after him.
No sooner had she rounded the corner than she smashed into someone tall and hard. Her flute went flying and she fell back to the ground landing on her bottom. Rena Rouge's eyes focused on green legs before her, dark green shoes and tights. As she looked him up, her heart began to pound as she realized she was looking at another hero. In fact, when their eyes met through her mask and his green goggles, she felt her heart jolt and her pulse quicken. His eyes looked sowarm, as warm as he looked so strong.
He reached out an arm, and she took it. The green hero pulled her up and she went up gracefully. He stepped around her, ducked down for her flute, and spun to hand it to her, causing her to turn away from Nino's direction to keep her eyes on him.
She took the flute, but remained astonished. A warm smile was on his face.
"Hi, I'm new." He greeted.
Rena Rogue blinked hard, trying to force away the strange feeling bubbling in her chest. "I'm uh, Aly- uhh—er-" Pause. "Alya the, um, blogger hasn't posted anything about you!" She stammered. A smile began to spread on the green hero's face, and silently scolding herself Rena Rogue added hastily, "That's where I get my information about the heroes."
"She's great, isn't she? Alya Cesaire?" the green hero said.
Rena's eyes narrowed. What did he know? There was something in his eyes she couldn't decipher. A cloudiness. They reminded her of the way Nino looked at her, almost in love, but she knew that couldn't be the case here. Before she could ask about it, the green hero shook his head.
"Carapace," he said, extending a hand again, this time for her to shake.
"Rena Rogue," she nodded, stretching out her hand to shake his.
This time when they touched, there was a jolt. An actual, electric jolt causing them to pull away and look at their hands.
An explosion sounded, much closer than those before.
"Shit! We've got a city to save!" Rena Rogue cried.
Her hand flew to her temples and she swiveled around remembering that she had a boy to save first.
"D-did you see a boy headed this way? A guy with a blue shirt and cap bracelets on his right wrist?" Rena asked Carapace, back to him.
"He's safe!" Carapace said quickly. "I, uh, forced him into the restaurant down the street and told him to stay there."
Rena Rogue exhaled before turning back to him. They were just about to start running when Chat Noir landed right before them.
"There you guys are! Rena Rouge, Carapace. Carapace, Rena Rouge. Let's go now! We've got a city to save!" Chat Noir grinned before launching himself back into the air.
*** Carapace POV***
. Carapace watched in awe as Rena Rogue nodded to what Chat Noir had said and launched herself into the sky, helicoptering herself with her flute to land on the roof of a nearby building. The way she moved, the way she jumped, the way she landed was nothing short of magical in his eyes. He swallowed, and shook his head as his girlfriend's warm smile flashed in his head then realized that he'd fallen far behind the two heroes.
Carapace began to run, sprinting down the street at full speed after them. When he felt confident, he launched himself up towards a building. At the last second, he swiveled around and his shell hit the building sending him flying up to land on the building across the street. He landed and his eyes met Rena Rogue's as she glanced back to check up on him. He could have sworn she smiled before turning around to keep running after Chat Noir.
They reached the Eiffel tower, and the three heroes ducked behind a parapet, peering over to observe. Ladybug was clearly stalling, throwing taunts and dodging hits from someone akumatized as a wizard, throwing laser beams out of a book.
"Rena, looks like Ladybug could use some help with the distraction. Carapace, cover me!"Chat Noir hissed.
Rena lept off the ledge after Ladybug, blowing into her flute as she went. Carapace ducked and turned to his best friend with wide eyes filling with panic.
"Dude, what's the plan? I've never done this before, what am I supposed to do?" Carapace asked Chat Noir.
"We need to help Ladybug." Chat Noir declared simply, peering over the parapet after the woman he was in love with. "I want you to stay with her, make sure she isn't hurt –you know the words?"
"Dude, come on, between you and her I'd rather save my best bud if you're in trouble-"
Chat Noir shook his head and put a hand on Carapace's shoulder. "You need to protect Ladybug. Our priority needs to be saving France and Ladybug is France's last hope. She's the only one who can deakumatize the butterflies. I have the power of destruction, but you have the power of protection. You need to protect her, you need to protect Paris."
Carapace's eyes darkened as he realized the true weight of his responsibilities. It was his job now to protect Paris any way that he could. A job that he hadn't signed up for, that he didn't even want, but a job that he was now stuck with. Perhaps for life.
Without even excusing himself, Carapace threw himself over the Parapet and into the sky, plummeting towards the scene. Rena Rogue and her illusions were fighting with the wizard's illusions, while Ladybug fought the wizard himself.
All of a sudden, one of the wizard's illusions through a very real spell that shot straight through one of Rena's illusions and towards Ladybug's back. Carapace arrived just in time to knock Ladybug out of the way, and the spell was absorbed into his shell without harming either of them. Rena Rouge arrived just in time to swing at the illusion, causing it to fade away when she should have made contact it.
Ladybug didn't have time to thank either of the heroes for their help. As quick as she was knocked to the ground, Ladybug was on her feet again, shouting, "Lucky Charm!"
From the sky fell a mirror, the back of which was designed with a ladybug pattern. Ladybug caught it and glanced around at her surroundings, Carpace stood defensively in front of her peering around for any threats. Carapace, fully aware of all his surroundings, watched as Rena Rouge and Chat Noir attacked the wizard's illusions. He knew that Rena Rouge was running out of time before she would turn back, and actually so was Ladybug now. He hoped that it didn't have to come down to him and Chat Noir to defeat the wizard –he didn't feel ready to battle a villain without the help of such a big team.
He jolted up when felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around swinging. Ladybug stepped back, letting him punch the air, and he almost fell on his follow through. She helped pick him up, firm yet gentle, and then spun him around to face the heroes. She wrapped a ribbon from her hair around his chest and tied the mirror to his shell tightly.
"I need you to reflect a spell back to the wizard. We need to trick him into thinking I'm medusa," Ladybug whispered to him.
For a second, just a second, Carapace understood what Chat Noir saw in her. She was confident, calming, and strong. Just like Alya…
"Hey, Don Quejas!" Ladybug shouted, running to the left. Carapace ran after her, slightly behind. "It is I, Medusa, come to defeat you at last!"
Chat Noir froze at seeing Ladybug with her hair down. She'd shaken it out so that it would be messy and stand in all directions, like if it were made of snakes. An illusion almost hit him when Rena Rouge, with a chuckle, knocked him out of the way in time.
"Mwahaha, as you turn people into stone, so shall I do to you!" the villain cackled.
He shot a spell from his wand, Ladybug shouted "Now!" and things seemed to happen so slowly. Carpace registerd as Chat Noir shouted "No!" Both he and Carapace ran in the direction of the spell. Thankfully, Chat Noir was a second too late, he threw himself in the way of the spell and fell to the ground unharmed. He rolled over in horror, watching as the spell zoomed towards Ladybug who stood her ground. His legs burned from how fast he was running, but it didn't stop Carapace from launching himself into the air and spinning to face ladybug. If this wasn't timed precisely right… Carapace didn't let himself think about it.
"Shellshock!" He yelled almost a second too felt the spell hit the mirror on his back and it threw him forward towards Ladybug, but the protective force field that formed around them prevented him from flying too far away. He fell on the ground just before her and the mirror smashed as he landed on his side.
The impact of the spell hit him harder than he thought it would, it knocked the breath out of him and he lay wincing in pain for a minute. Ladybug jumped over him and ran at the villain, but Carapace couldn't summon the strength to turn around and see her finish the job.
Being a hero kinda sucks, he thought to himself, as he struggled to get to his feet. Suddenly, his eyes focused on a gloved hand reaching down to offer him assistance. Carapace took it and felt that shock again. He didn't even have to look at her face to know who had helped him –it was Rena Rouge.
"Are you okay?" Rena Rouge asked, dropping his hand as soon as he was up.
Carapace rubbed his arm and winced, but nodded. "I'll be fine."
They turned to watch as Ladybug broke the now stone wizard's wand and then caught the akuma. Carapace watched in awe. He'd only ever seen this happen on the news, never so close.
"Bye bye, little butterfly," Ladybug smiled, releasing a white butterfly into the sky.
"You're drooling," Rena Rouge said, rolling her yes. Carapace blushed as she brushed by him towards the other two heroes.
He ran to catch up to her as they approached the other heroes and he explained, "It's not like that, dude, I've never seen this happen in person." They reached the other heroes before she could reply.
"Good job guys!" Ladybug grinned, giving Rena Rouge a hug and then extending her hand to shake Carapace's.
He took her hand firmly, and they shook hands. She nodded, acknowledging his job well done and Carapace felt pride well up in his chest.
"We should get going," Rena Rouge interjected, reaching up to touch her necklace. She offered Ladybug and Chat Noir a warm smile and said, "I'll see you guys later." With a quick nod at Carapace, Rena Rouge began running in the opposite direction. Carapace couldn't keep his eyes off of her until she turned a corner and was out of his sight.