When that first wave of power rolled through the ground and up to Marinette's shoulders, leaving goose-bumps on her skin, all she could think was a frantic stream of "keep them safe. Keep Luka safe. Keep Chat safe. Keep them keep them safe it's my job let them be okay keep them safe keep them safe - "

Madame Streamer was one Akuma Ladybug was sure she would never forget. The utter silence of their battle, the little flinches that shocked her core whenever Chat or Queenie were thrown onto the ground or into a tree chilling her bones. It just made their noises of pain that much more prominent, and her heart pounded heavily as she remembered what Queen Bee had told her. The several parts of the school that had completely collapsed under Madame Streamer's deep sound waves, and in Ladybug's mind, a terrifying image of Luka's hands stained with his own blood made her own hands vaguely shake with horror.

It'd been a while since she felt like this, she realized. The past few months had Akumas that were nowhere near the school for her to feel this sensation - the blood pounding in her ears, her head fuzzier than usual, and her absolute desperation to keep her friends (and her more than friends) safe.

"I can see them in the lab," Queen Bee whispered, her voice a mere brush against Ladybug's sense of hearing. Both of the heroines were trying to control their breathing, Queenie significantly more exhausted, but both still physically strained. "They're - they're crouching against the windows. Desks are backed up against a wall. I count seven - sorry, eighteen."

Ladybug looked at her in awe. "How did you know that?"

Queenie shrugged nonchalantly, but her cheeks were brushed a light pink. "I-It's a thing, I can't really explain it. But every person in a certain radius of me… It's like I can feel them."

Chat Noir slunk into the scene, his own breath harsh and panting as the momentarily subdued Madame Streamer thrashed wildly against her bounds. He tipped his head slightly to the right and a black ear twitched, as if he was listening to someone who wasn't there. "Plagg says it's a Bee thing. You have incredible luck, my Lady, and I have the bad, but Queenie is a leader. It's natural for her to be able to feel her subjects."

He paused, and he hesitated, before asking almost shyly to the black and yellow superhero, "Queenie," he said, and his voice was a whisper, and it wasn't just because of the Akuma now slowly releasing herself from her binds. His shoulders were shaky with shivers, his tail lashing in aggravation as the jacket he now always wore was soaked with the rain, but his eyes were more clear than Ladybug had seen in a long time. "Can you feel them? Marinette and Luka?"

Queen Bee blinked before buzzing low in her throat, the sound a deep vibration and giving off an aura of worry and guilt. "I… no, I'm sorry. I can feel Luka - he's beside Nino at the window, but I can't feel for a grasp of Marinette."

Ladybug felt a shock run down her spine, and she twitched violently, but Chat's sudden explosion of noise was more than enough to cover her own reaction.

"Where is she? " Chat practically shouted, a growl deep in his throat, but he was no longer paying any close attention to his partners, instead lunging for Madame Streamer, whose lips were ever closed as she stepped aside. They fought, her concentration obviously faltering at Chat's constant yells.

"Oh, god," Ladybug whispered. It was over in only a minute - with his ears flattened completely against his head and his breath shuddering, Chat Noir didn't even utter a Cataclysm as he snatched the earbuds from the struggling Madame Streamer and crushed them in his claws.

The butterfly made of nightmares and fear flew out, and quickly, Ladybug healed it, its pure white wings brushing gently against her spandex-covered fingers in thanks, the touch gentle and velvet-like, before it fluttered off.

Ladybug swallowed at Chat's expression, his eyes wide and terrified, and she whispered, "Miraculous Ladybug."

"I have to find her," Chat Noir croaked.

"Of course," Queen Bee said immediately, and suddenly, her face contorted, a look of perplexity passing through her pretty hesitated before her expression relaxed. "I… I think she's safe, though."

"She is," Ladybug immediately jumped in. She swallowed as Chat suddenly leaned in close, grasping her shoulders and his voice slightly trembling. She couldn't tell whether it was because of the rain or because of her. Either way, her heart thudded. "I promise."

Her earrings gave several beeps of warning, and similarly, Chat's ring gave a sound along with the golden comb sitting at the base of Queenie's hair.

"I have to go," Ladybug said, because she understood and knew how much Chat needed to see her. See Marinette. She recognized that feeling well - the desperation to see someone you cared about safe and happy, and her heart broke as Chat shakily nodded, looking absolutely miserable as he crouched in the splattering of rain with a jacket that he held close to himself.

"I have to go," she repeated, and she swung off, desperate to find a place to transform.

Queen Bee watched from the ground as the red and black superhero disappeared, and the buzzing in her throat heightened an octave. She rubbed almost absent-mindedly at the side of her head, where she could hear a little noise that indicated every person within a certain area of her.

Everyone was a different sound. Chat Noir, as he dug his claws into the concrete like it was butter, was a constant stream of wind chimes and birds tweeting. It was lovely. She heard that noise before somewhere, she knows she did, but something was scrambling her thoughts - it was like no matter how hard she swam, her fingers never breached the surface.

Ladybug's call had been equally lovely. Sweet rings of bells and the sound of a bike's tires rolling over a road of gravel.

Queen Bee frowned. It was yet another noise she couldn't quite place her finger on, the answer right at the tip of her tongue, but she just didn't know.

"Chat," she said softly as she realized she had been quiet for quite some time. "I promise, Marinette is safe."

His eyes were aggravated as he glanced at he, and she could see that he was ready to leap away on his baton in an effort to search for his sweet classmate. "But you don't know."

Queen Bee tapped a finger against her thigh, a sign of her nervousness, yet when she spoke, her voice was as quiet as ever, but unwavering. "I do."

He squinted at her, and his claws slightly relaxed their knuckle-white (she assumed, anyway) hold on his baton. "How?"

Queenie frowned gently, and she reached up to fiddle with a golden curl that fell into her face, tugging on it, releasing, and then repeating. She took a step back as her comb once again beeped impatiently, and inwardly, she realized that her greedy brat of a kwami had eaten all the honey pastries already and Queenie would have to order more. She glanced at the school, at the numerous faces now peeking out as their school had been healed by millions of ladybugs and their relief slowly swelling.

When she closed her eyes and reached out her senses, something in her gut just told her that everything for the moment was okay.

"When you first met me," Queen Bee said, "you said you would rely on me. I'm asking that now. Rely on me, Chat. I don't know how to explain it, but - "

She looked almost helplessly at her hands, the material covering them a sleek black and glued to her skin but at the same time so comfortable to be in. "As soon as I put on this comb, I could feel something click. Do you know what I did this morning? I ate half a jar of honey for breakfast, Chat. Half a jar. I hated honey before, but now, I can't get enough."

She smiled almost shakily at him, who peered at her with curiosity rather than apprehension now. "My kwami said I wasn't human anymore, Chat. Just like how you aren't, too. If you can't trust me, then first trust my kwami, and then trust my instincts - I promise that Marinette's safe."

Queenie touched the comb sitting proudly at the top of her head as it gave once more a loud beep, and Chat's claws twisted his ring as it made a similar noise.

"I have to go," she said, repeating Ladybug's words from before. "Don't do anything stupid, kitty-cat."

And with another small but sweet smile, Queen Bee's translucent wings fluttered and she quickly flew away, knowing that after a moment's worth of hesitation, Chat leapt off in the opposite direction, ready to detransform as well.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The first thing that Marinette did when she stumbled back into class was spot Luka, make a noise similar to that of a half-cry, before running over and crashing into him so hard that he had the breath knocked out of him and then smoothing a hand down her head as she breathed harshly into his chest, taking in his eucalyptus smell.

Luka gave her a moment to recover before gently pushing her back, hands on her shoulders and his eyes serious as he said in a low voice, "are they okay?"

Marinette blinked in an almost daze, her own hands still clutched tightly into his shirt. "I - "

"Dude!" Nino cried out, cutting her off, and all heads turned to see a ruffled looking Adrien standing at the doorway with a half-sheepish, half-aggravated expression on his face.

"Agreste, you better have a good explanation for this!" Alya also shouted. "You were gone the whole time, and I spent an hour looking for you - "

"You what?" A new voice snapped, audibly irritated, and Chloe, who everyone was sure had not been in the room before, glared at Alya with not a look of disgust as she would have before, but still plenty of anger. "Why didn't you come here right away? I know for a fact Queen Bee told you toget out of the damn cafeteria and to stay safe!"

"Adrien, you actual clotpole - "

"What the hell Alya, you actually ran around the place when it was falling apart? - "

"Where were you - "

The noise level in the classroom steadily increased, before worried and slightly angry words of their classmates and other stray students talked over each other.

"Were you hurt?" Luka asked Marinette, his eyes searching her face for any sign of pain while his hands gripped her tightly. "I know the Miraculous Ladybug doesn't heal everything, and the fight was so long."

His lost and worried expression softened Marinette, who smiled before shaking her head. "I'm okay."

"MARINETTE!"

The shout was louder than anything their friends had been yelling, and two pairs of blue eyes turned to see a red-faced Adrien standing a mere few feet away from them, and he walked over, eyes alight with wonder and also relief.

"You're here," Adrien said quietly, and his hand reached out to tug on her sleeve, almost like a child would when they wanted attention with a half-helpless expression. He swallowed, and Marinette stared, trying to figure out what was happening. "You're here. I couldn't find you, I looked all over the school, she said she couldn't see y - "

He cut himself off and looked off to the side, a frown now on his face, reflecting his feelings of upset.

Marinette also frowned, though hers was of contemplation. What was Adrien talking about? Why would he look for her, when he should have been looking out for his own safety? At the thought, she glanced outside, half-hoping but deflating as she failed to catch sight of a superhero in a black suit. She made a mental reminder to bake some cookies - it was inevitable that she would be getting a special visit tonight, if not at least a check-up to see her safe.

The two failed to notice Luka looking fondly at them but also with an exasperated shake of his head.

The noise around them hadn't vanished - rather, it had grown, as there was still tension in the air, and Luka closed his eyes as three voices in particular yelled with increasing volume.

"You promised to come here - "

"I was looking for Adrien and Marinette, you idiot!"

"Guys, please - "

"Nino, stay out of this - "

"Do not speak to him that way!"

"Chloe, it's fine, Alya, c'mon, Chloe's just worried - "

"You said Queen Bee."

There was rumble of tension throughout the classroom, and the trio of blue eyes and green ones looked at each other with a feeling of uh-ohbefore they joined the crowd that surrounded three people that were now just staring intensely at each other.

"That's her name," Chloe finally said, responding to Alya's sudden declaration.

Alya nodded slowly. "That's her name." She glanced at her phone, which was still sitting snugly in the pocket of her jeans. Her gaze slid back up to Chloe, who was now turning her nose away and looking off to the side. Alya's voice was quiet. "I haven't made a post about it yet."

Luka suddenly grabbed Marinette's hand as well, and he squeezed both hers and Adrien's.

"Alya," Nino murmured, and his eyes darted nervously around them at the curious gazes of their classmates. "Not now."

Chloe stood, her shoulders stiff with tension, pupils narrowed and if anyone truly paid attention, they would have heard the low hum of anger starting at the back of her throat. She cleared her voice, dispelling the vibrations, before huffing and glaring at Alya. "Nino is right. Now's not the time."

"Then when is?" Alya shot back, and her eyes were squinting at Chloe with close scrutiny, and Luka could practically hear the cogs in her mind clicking fast.

Chloe sneered, and she flipped her hair, the curls shining under the light of the room. "Don't bother me again, Alya. Of course a girl as dumb as you would put your safety in risk over someone else." Her lips pursed in anger. "Don't mention Queen Bee to me again."

And with an air of confidence that Luka knew was false, she sauntered out of the room, chin held high and her aura of indifference repelling anyone from speaking.

When no one said anything for at least a minute, Kim finally spoke what was on all their minds.

"Fuck."

XxXxXxXxXxX

He reached out a hand, palm up and fingers open, and there was noise of gentle fluttering before wings of pure white sat delicately on his hand, all of them untainted and beautiful.

He personally believed they were far more enchanting when their wings cracked and bled darkness.

"He chose a new one," he said faintly, voice contemplating, and when he hummed, more butterflies rested on him, some on his shoulders and some clinging to his arms. He lazily fiddled with the cane in his hand with some sort of curiosity.

"It's to be expected," he continued. "He's been getting older, slower with age. Even the turtle wouldn't be enough to support his life if he'd continued."

There was silence before a small shuffling noise arose.

The voice that spoke back was soft, feminine, and held even less emotion than he did. "Would you like for them to keep watching?"

He thought for a moment, and abruptly swung his arm. The butterflies flew up and around him, and he stared in wonder as they became as cloud of white, the sound of gentle fluttering filling the air. In the darkness, they looked like stars and shooting stars, and he was reminded of something he often times didn't think about.

If he concentrated enough, he could remember every detail - the faint feeling of young grass tickling his skin, her soft body pressing against his, and her lips always a smile whenever he looked at her. It had been nighttime, the only visible light coming from the moon, but to him, she had been positively the brightest thing glowing that night, and he had been afraid that if he looked directly in her eyes, he would be washed away by her light. A butterfly clip was what she had been wearing to keep her blond hair out of her eyes, the clip itself a simple one, gleaming white and its wings spread wide.

Then she was gone, and in her place were millions of butterflies instead, and he was lost without her, because he had only been something with her by his side.

He huffed a breath, and lifted his hand once more. White wings crawled up his gloved fingers.

"No," he finally answered. "No, let them return. I am willing to wait."

There wasn't a response. He hadn't been expecting one.

He thought back to their too-brief times together, to the gentleness of her love, and also his guilt of neglecting perhaps the one person he loved even more than he had loved her. The guilt choked him, clogging his throat, and he almost accidentally crushed the delicate beauties in his hand in his sudden surge of emotions.

As soon as it came, it went, and he was calm once more, breathing loosening and his shoulders loose with relaxation. He deleted those thoughts, those feelings of loss, and instead he uttered two simple words.

A purple flow flowed over him, and from the brooch that was pinned neatly to his white pressed suit fell out an exhausted god.

He caught it with a bored expression, and ignored the way it curled up in his hand, shaking. He would feed the thing later - for now, he said, "Nathalie, arrange a car to collect me. I have been away from my office long enough."

Her voice, still as soft as ever, said, "of course, Monsieur Agreste."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Hmm. These updates are rather stupidly timed. Like I said, I really think that my AO3 and Tumblr is a good place to visit. Try redyarns there.