Tom Dupain walked down the stairs, shoulders slumped down. Sabine was waiting for him with worried eyes, and once her husband was at hands reach for her she grabbed one of his big hands.

''How did it go?'' She asked in a whisper.

''That boy needs to eat a lot more pastries if he wants to fit into my clothes…''Said her husband in an attempt to lighten the mood. She forced a little chuckle to make him feel better, but the man's eyes started getting wet anyways.

''Oh darling'' She said, hugging him. She knew her husband was more sensible than he liked to let people know, so when the man went up to deliver clean clothes for Adrien to change into, she decided to wait for him instead of going back to the bakery.

She kindly guided Tom into their couch, where she made him sit and then went to boil water for tea.

''They are too young for this'' Commented her husband after clearing his throat. His voice was low and he kept looking at his hands as he talked. ''I just helped a 16 year old boy change because he was too bruised to move properly. This shouldn't be happening to them''

Sabine nodded as she kept preparing the beverages. There wasn't really anything she could say to make him (Or her) feel better about the situation they had to deal with that sunday. Her husband knew, but he kept venting about all the things they could do to help them anyways.

''We need to talk to Gabriel Agreste, too'' Suggested Sabine, adding one more thing to the list her husband was making. It mostly consisted on nutritious food, emergency kits and strategies to keep their identities safe.

''Do you think he knows?'' Asked the man, worry turned into curiosity. Sabine shrugged as she handed a cup of tea to her husband.

''We would have to ask the kids about that, but if he does we could plan ways to further help our children'' She said. Tom smiled at her.

''You're right''

Their conversation was halted as the married couple heard footsteps coming from upstairs. Marinette and Adrien came down, the girl brining the plate they left up there for Adrien to finish eating. It was empty, noted the woman feeling a bit of much needed relief.

''Going out?'' She asked, trying to keep her face from looking too worried as she noticed how both of them looked tired still. Adrien specially, he had to wear a makeshift cast on his arm and his face was plastered with colorful band aids. Then again, he looked a lot worse earlier in the day. She would have to trust them.

''Yup, we uhh have a meeting with the rest of our um, team'' Her daughter was still uncomfortable talking about her double life.

''Here, for everybody'' Said Tom, handing Marinette a box filled with pastries. The parents weren't really sure how many people would be eating them, so they prepared food for a small army, just in case.

''Thanks dad'' Smiled Marinette, then looked at Adrien, who was smiling too, signaling him that they were leaving.

The teenagers closed the door behind them and Sabine heard her husband sigh. It was hard seeing kids that young beaten up that badly, she thought. But logic told her that this was probably a fluke for them, since they never really saw their daughter (Or Ladybug, for that matter) hurt. That thought calmed her down and she made sure to share it with her husband.

Alya rang the bell on the Agreste mansion and her and Nino waited patiently for Nathalie's voice to answer. She still thought it was weird for them to know full well they would have no problems getting into the house, when before it was a real interrogant whenever they rang the bell.

''Come in'' Said the woman's voice and the doors opened for them.

They were a bit late, but Marinette asked for more time anyways, she had no right of getting mad at them after the designer told them the reunion would be two hours later than their previous agreement.

The couple silently entered the house after the bodyguard opened the main door for them, and they stood in the entrance for a good minute, lost. Where exactly was the reunion supposed to happen? Adrien's room? Wondered the reporter, looking up the stairs.

Nathalie popped besides them, serious as always, making Nino jump once he noticed the woman's sudden presence. Alya giggled a bit at her boyfriend's little scare.

''This way'' The woman merely said, guiding them upstairs. But instead of turning left towards the model's room, they entered what looked like a living room, with three couches surrounding a coffee table and a fireplace. Alya gasped as she noticed who was already waiting for them.

''Chloe?!'' She exclaimed, unable to contain her surprise at seeing the blonde sitting with Luka on one of the couches. No sign of Marinette or Adrien yet.

''Why am I not surprised you are here?'' She commented in her usual nasty tone.

''No fighting please, I'll explain once everyone is here'' Said Luka. It was in that moment that the reporter noticed how comfortable they both looked sitting next to each other. She smirked, but decided to say nothing.

The snake wielder must have read her thoughts, because he blushed a little. Nino huffed by his side and, not commenting anything either, went to sit in front of the other two. She joined him soon after.

''Is it safe to go out?'' Alya heard Trixx whisper from her backpack, the girl stared at Chloe for a moment before shrugging and nodding to her kwami. The little fox celebrated as he always did when he was allowed out of his hiding place. The other ones took that as a cue to come out apparently, because then Sass and Wayzz joined Trixx in the middle table, where they held their own little reunion and greeted each other.

The four of them waited awkwardly, watching the tiny creatures converse happily. Alya pulled out her phone and was about to text her best friend when the door opened once more, revealing a very tired Marinette and an even worse looking Adrien.

''DUDE! What the hell happened to you?'' Nino was the first one to comment on the state the model was. Alya cringed as she noticed the cuts covered in bandaids of all the colors in his face and the casted arm. He was also wearing a long sleeved shirt that looked almost like a dress on him, covering who knew how many more injuries.

''Sorry for being late, we had a little problem, as you can see'' Said Marinette then she noticed the newcomer. ''Chloe?'' She questioned, not sounding nearly as hostile as Nino did but not pleased either. Luka sighed.

''Seems like there are quite a few explanations in order before we can start planning for the masquerade…'' He commented. Chloe at his side rolled her eyes.

''It's easy, I'm here because I'm Queen Bee, or at least I would be if that bitch didn't steal the miracle box, and because I know all your little secrets'' She said. Luka facepalmed, but Alya saw that he was smiling.

''And because you can be helpful'' He added.

''Yeah, that too'' She said, crossing her arms defensively. Alya chuckled, now that was an interesting twist. She didn't trust Chloe yet, but if Luka did then there must be a reason, so she decided to let it go.

Marinette was quiet, and Alya realized the girl was probably still feeling a bit guilty at not speaking to the blonde before Luka did. Silly girl, Alya thought, she already told her she owed nothing to Chloe!

Adrien and Marinette relaxed a bit and then went to sit down on the third couch. The reported noticed how the boy flinched as he sat down. Seriously, what happened to him?

Alya was expecting Chloe to scream at seeing Adrien hurt any moment now, but the girl remained quiet, staring at him with her mouth slightly open. Luka put a hand on her shoulder and he did the questioning instead.

''So, I assume Lila did that to you?'' He started, and both Marinette and Adrien nodded. Adrien started explaining the encounter as Marinette opened a box she brought and arranged pastries in the coffee table. The kwamis were very pleased.

''I ran into her yesterday on the streets, then decided to follow her'' Said the model, and then proceeded to explain the rest. When he started skipping details of the fight he had with the sentimonster, Alya felt something heavy on her stomach. He must have lost really badly for him to change the pace of his story and then skipping straight to him waking up at 4PM in Marinette's bed the next day.

''Hold on, why did you go to her house and not to a hospital or to your own home for instance?'' Asked Chloe. Alya found herself joining in the curious wait for the answer.

''I don't know…I wasn't entirely myself when I escaped the fight…'' Again, the boy was trying to avoid admitting how hurt he was.

''I guided him there'' Said Plagg from the middle of the room, where he had joined the other kwamis. The tiny cat looked less energetic than he usually did, Alya noticed.

''And Marinette healed him'' Added Tikki, pride in her voice. Adrien cringed, his attempts at not hinting how badly he was after his fight ruined by the kwami.

Everything got a little chaotic from there. Luka started asking more details on the sentimonster Pavona made while Nino was cursing her. Chloe was uncharacteristically quiet, looking at Adrien with worried eyes while the boy tried to minimize the situation. Marinette then took over and started explained her new powers and the fact that her parents knew their secrets too. Alya joined in to voice her concern for the girl, who was also minimizing the apparent toll using her new abilities had on her.

''That bitch has crossed way too many lines!, who cares if she reveals our identities to the world, she needs to pay!'' Exclaimed Nino, angrier than she had ever seen her boyfriend being. She tried to calm him down by putting a hand on his lap but he ignored it to glare at Marinette, who was shaking her head.

''We will follow the plan, nothing has changed'' She said, and Alya had to agree with her. That was the point of this meeting anyways.

''Alright people, less arguing more working'' Said Luka, clapping his hands once, surprising everyone. ''Let's all share what we have, first'' He said, staring at Alya directly, asking with his eyes for her to start.

''We found a bit of information on those agents Marinette described'' She started saying. Chloe looked utterly confused, which the reporter ignored. ''They are both ghosts'' She said.

''Ghosts?'' Asked Adrien, and Alya nodded. Nino was still a bit riled up, so she continued instead of letting him do it.

''They are dead in every record I found about them. If they work for any government, then it's a super secret division the public doesn't know about. And if they are something else entirely, all the same. This screams danger, guys'' She explained. The others all showed different levels of worry in their faces, except for Chloe, who still didn't know what they were talking about but remained uncharacteristically quiet, glancing at Luka for answers instead. The older boy took the hint and whispered some explanations to the blondes ears.

''We can deal with them later, Lila is our top priority right now'' Said Marinette after a while.

Most of them nodded and continued on to the next topic. Chloe had the decency to not pretend she had a vote yet. They still had to decide whether she would be a permanent part of the team or not.

''What about your homework, snake boy?'' Asked Alya eyeing the guitarist.

''I've been translating as much as I can from the grimoire. It's a slow process, but I'll get faster and faster as I learn the language… For now, all I have found is information that we already know of about the miraculous of destruction and creation'' Said the older boy, nodding to Marinette and Adrien. ''I discovered something interesting about the luck factor, though'' He mentioned, and Alya could already feel Nino sweating by her side. Oh well, she thought, this conversation had to happen sooner or late.

''What about it?'' Asked Adrien a bit more alert than he had been this whole time. Nino shook his head a bit while he looked at Luka, pleading for him to not tell them that, but the guitarist didn't see him.

''Well, as you already know, Marinette's luck and Adriens bad luck are not exactly natural'' Explained Luka, and they all nodded except Chloe and Nino, who just looked defeated ''The story I found said that the closer the wielders are to balance with each other, whatever that means, the more normal their luck gets. So, Marinette was right in giving me the guardian position, for example, because now that she is closer to Adrien her luck is that of a normal person. Same for you, Adrien'' He said, probably noticing too the frown on the blond boy.

''How come he got so badly beaten up, then?'' Asked Nino before Adrien could start that martyr speech he probably wanted to give now that he knew he took away Marinette's good luck. Alya rolled her eyes.

''Luck doesn't affect free will'' Said Luka, shaking his head. ''And it's really hard to measure anyways. It's not that big of a deal now that you two are together, but the story also said that the opposite effect can happen if balance is broken, again, whatever that means'' He said, shrugging as if the topic was not that important. It was obvious he was trying to minimize it for the duo, because they were looking at each other in worry already.

''Let me get this straight, if these two lovebirds break up, Adrikins will have bad luck and Dupain-Cheng will win the lottery or something?'' Interjected Chloe. Alya chuckled, the image of Marinette becoming rich but eating ice-cream and bawling over Adrien at the same time stuck on her head. It was cruel but still kind of funny. Those two would never break up, though, the reporter was sure of that.

Luka grinned. ''It's not that simple, not all Ladybugs and Chat Noirs have been romantically involved. The book said something about ´´distance´´, but who knows what it really means with that. I don't think it's just physical distance, it's not a very straightforward book'' He said.

''Well, that is not a problem, and it will never be'' Said the designer, grabbing her boyfriends free hand. Adrien smiled at her warmly despite whatever was on his head. Alya nodded in satisfaction, yep, that was the least of their concerns right now.

''The most interesting thing about that discovery is the fact that Marinette seems to be one extremely lucky Ladybug. I really admire Master Fu for his choice, I've been thinking about it and I realized that almost everyone in your class is suited for a miraculous'' Said Luka, and Alya couldn't help but think about Adrien and what the older boy left unsaid. If Marinette's luck power was so strong, and she and Adrien were a perfect match for each other… That only meant that the boy was terribly unlucky. She shuddered, remembering the scene she witnessed below this same mansion just two weeks ago, when Adrien had to confront his father while dealing with the fate of his mother.

''Wait, does that include me?'' Asked Chloe innocently, taking Alya out of her thoughts. ''She didn't give me Pollen, I found the miraculous after she lost it'' Luka was nodding and smiling at her almost in the same way Adrien smiled at Marinette just moments ago.

''Even you. You are just more proof of Marinette's luck, the fact that it was you who found the Bee miraculous and no one else'' Chloe was smiling brightly now ''Subjugation suits you like a glove''

Alya leaned on Nino and whispered to his ear ''I ship it'' and Nino barked a laugh, his pouting and bad mood a thing of the past, since Adrien didn't seem to take the new information as bad as the DJ thought he would.

''Well, we also know where Lila lives, again… Time to plan'' Said Marinette, back to business.

They talked for almost two hours, at some point Adrien's kitchen staff knocked on the door and the Kwamis had to hide while the personnel brought more food to the room. After refining the details of Marinette's plan for the gala, Alya was feeling a lot more hopeful than she was when the meeting started, with all those bad news. This had to work. It was Ladybug's plan after all.

They also agreed to meet as soon as Adrien was feeling better for a little incursion to Lila's new home, now that they also knew her address. Adrien's efforts would not be wasted, they would go full force and take the box back. Even Chloe wanted to go, miraculous or not, she wanted to help.

They started getting up and ready to leave the mansion when the night was at its darkest. One person didn't move, though. Adrien was snoring softly on his seat, who knew for how long.

''Is he gonna be ok?'' Asked Chloe, showing sincere concern for her childhood friend. She was kind of warming up to Alya, if she was being honest. Marinette put a hand on the blonds forehead to check his temperature.

''He has a little fever, but I'll handle it'' She said, and Tikki shoot her wielder a warning look.

Marinette sighed. ''I'll be healing him in small chunks, besides it's time to sleep anyways'' She assured. Whatever consequences there were for using her new ability, Alya was sure Marinette didn't care about them as much as she did for Adrien. She was going to heal her partner and no one was going to stop her.

''Just don't over do it, girl. We need you to fight Lila, too'' Said Alya before exiting the room with everyone else, leaving the superhero duo alone.

Nathalie entered the meeting room after she saw that everyone found their ways to the exit. Gabriel was behind her as she approached the young couple.

Marinette was sitting next to Adrien, holding his and as he slept. A pink light surrounded where their skins made contact, she noticed.

''Miss Dupain-Cheng, we have a guest room ready for you if you-'' Started saying Gabriel behind her, but stopped as he saw the little scene.

The girl kept ignoring them for a couple more minutes, then frowned and let go of Adrien's hand. She wiped sweat from then forehead then glanced at her kwami. The little red god didn't bother to hide when the two adults entered the room, remaining at Plagg's side.

''Don't do it again until tomorrow, ok?'' Said Tikki and her charge nodded, staring at her boyfriend once again.

Gabriel approached the young couple after a little hesitation.

''We will get Adrien to his room, Miss Dupain-Cheng. You can go with Nathalie, she will show you yours'' He said as soft as he could manage, though Nathalie doubted anything would wake Adrien up right now.

The girl looked at him, eyes starting to close on their own, then nodded and stood up. She glanced back at Adrien one more time before following Nathalie.

''You can heal him'' Said the woman as she guided Marinette to the guests room.

The girl looked at her as if she thought she was mute. Nathalie smiled.

''Y-yeah… I discovered that when I needed it the most…'' Said the young designer after pondering if she should respond to Nathalie or not.

They reached their destination and the secretary opened the door for the girl. Before closing it and leaving her alone, she watched as Marinette just went straight to the beed, not even bothering to check the pajamas they left for her.

''Thank you, Marinette'' Said Nathalie before the girl closed her eyes.