Notes: Daaaaaaamn it's been a while since I broke out my battle scenes. I am RUSTY. (Especially if I don't have a Celtic bastard singing shanties and swinging claymores at heads…) These aren't really relevant to the chapter, besides the fact that they were akuma fightin' Mood Music and I've been linking EVERYONE to the first one. Like…I have no idea who the girl is, but HOLY SHIT.
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Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days
Day Twenty-Four, Loop Twenty-Three: Rain
Marinette felt like she had just been thrown into her bed, her face smushed into her pillow and the wind knocked out of her. Which was kind of good, because at least the pillow muffled her scream and wouldn't bring her mother upstairs earlier than she'd been coming. Once she stopped screaming, she pushed herself up and slammed her fist into her pillow, letting out another grunt of frustration. Tikki was immediately beside her, wringing her paws nervously.
"I had it!" Marinette cried.
"I know," Tikki said, nodding.
"It was right there!" Marinette continued.
"I know," Tikki said again. She flew over to Marinette's phone and silenced it, but Marinette just snatched it from her and threw it across the room with a huff. She heard a thud above her, and before he could knock she was throwing the hatch open and joining Viperion on her balcony. He immediately pulled her towards him, crushing her in a hug.
"I knew you'd be ok," he said, his voice muffled against her shoulder, "but never do that to me again."
"What even happened?" she asked. Her arms came up around him, and he held her tighter.
"The akuma – the victim, not the butterfly – showed up and attacked you," he said.
"Well, yeah, I figured that much," she huffed. His chuckle sounded a little desperate, a little manic.
"That's not funny, darning," he said. "Don't make me laugh at that."
"Luka," she said, nudging him slightly, but he didn't move.
"Just give me a minute," he sighed. She laughed a little, and it sounded as manic as his own had.
"I'm the one who got thrown from the roof," she said. "Shouldn't I be the one needing a minute?"
"I had to watch you get thrown from the roof," he argued. "I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating. I know you're Ladybug, and I knew you'd be ok, but damn it, Marinette."
"There's a difference between knowing and seeing," she said softly. He nodded mutely, and after a moment she took his face in her hands and lifted it from her shoulder. Before he could argue, she kissed him gently. It was less hurried, less frantic, than most of their kisses had been so far. She took her time with it, smiling as she felt him relax against her. As much as she enjoyed the more...impassioned kisses, she thought there was something to be said for the slower kind, too.
"You scared me," he confessed when they finally came apart.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice soft.
"Are there two akumas? Did you know there were two?" he asked. He stayed close to her, his thumbs rubbing absently against her cheeks. The scales from his suit kind of tickled in a pleasant, distracting way. She reached up and held his wrists, but she didn't remove his hands.
"I don't know," she said. "It's not the first time I've seen the akuma butterfly and the akuma victim together. I don't know how it's working. Time magic?"
He snorted, and that made her smile. She could practically hear Sass hissing that, even if it was time magic, it wasn't his time magic.
"I think Sass would have a few things to say about how we keep claiming time magic," Viperion said, but Marinette just rolled her eyes.
"When it stops being true, we'll stop blaming it," she grumbled. She sighed and pulled his face back to hers, taking another moment to slowly kiss him. She took a steadying breath when she pulled back, nodding. "Ok. Ok. Let's do this. Tikki!"
"I'm right here, Marinette," Tikki said, phasing up through the roof and zipping around their heads a moment. "Your mom is coming. We need to get going."
"Right. Spots on!" she cried, and in a flash of pink light Ladybug was standing in Viperion's arms. He grinned at her and stole one last kiss, but then she was pushing him back and laughing as they fled her roof.
They barely spoke as they raced along the rooftops. Ladybug was focused, glaring ahead of her as she tried to come up with some sort of plan. Everything seemed useless, though, when she still didn't have enough information on the akuma and what was happening. She had a handful of puzzle pieces with no reference for how they were supposed to fit together. For someone who thrived on plans and structure, it was infuriating. It seemed defeating this akuma was going to boil down to sheer luck, which…was a good thing, she supposed. Considering Ladybug was supposed to be the embodiment of luck itself. She just hoped she had enough of it to pull a win out of the bag today.
Hannah and Geoff were walking out of the apartment building when Ladybug and Viperion landed on the roof of the flower shop, and with a gesture Ladybug signaled for Viperion to keep moving. They continued to follow the pair along the roofs, and they were halfway to the office building when Hannah and Geoff stopped for coffee. Ladybug and Viperion crouched along the edge of a roof, watching the café below and waiting for the couple to emerge again.
"So far so good," Viperion commented as she leaned forward, her eyes scanning the skies while he watched the street. She hummed noncommittally, not fully convinced. There was a tingling beneath her skin, a thrumming in her veins. A feeling pressing in at the edges of her mind, keeping her on edge and warning her of something. Something was about to happen. She just knew it. Things had been too easy so far. He laid a hand against her back, but she didn't relax. She couldn't afford to. "Ladybug…"
Hannah and Geoff came back out into the cold morning, and Ladybug shrugged Viperion off as she moved away from the ledge.
"Come on," she said, already moving to leap to the next roof. "Keep your eyes on them. I'll watch for the akuma."
"Right," he sighed. She could hear him following behind her. She landed on the next roof and continued running, her eyes lifting to the skies every over step in a constant state of alert. She wouldn't be caught off guard this time. She'd be ready. She'd be – "Ladybug, behind you!"
She was halfway through her leap to the next building when she heard him. She twisted mid-air, but she was too late to prevent the akuma from tackling into her and knocking her against the next roof. She grit her teeth as she skidded along her back, the cement of the roof scratching against her suit as the akuma screamed and made a grab for her earrings. Ladybug shoved her back, gritting her teeth and twisting her head to keep her ears clear from her grasping fingers. The akuma's eyes widened and her shouts cut off in a started gasp as teal arms snaked around her middle and heaved, throwing her in a dead lift across the roof. She landed hard on her back, scrabbling to get back on her feet as Viperion grabbed Ladybug's hand and helped her up.
"You ok?" he asked, and she nodded. She gestured at his bracelet.
"Be ready!" she called, already swinging her yoyo and rushing towards the akuma.
"Where's Chat Noir? That's not your usual partner!" the akuma called, spinning out of Ladybug's reach as she leapt at her. Ladybug heard Viperion activate his Second Chance, and a weight lifted from her shoulders. They had time. They could do this.
"Let us get to tomorrow and maybe you'll find out!" Ladybug snapped back, and the akuma growled as she dodged her yoyo. She flipped over Ladybug's head and ran towards Viperion, but she didn't seem to realize Viperion could hold his own in a fight. Her eyes widened as he side-stepped her punch, grabbing her wrist and spinning to twist her arm behind her back. She screeched, and before Viperion could grab her other arm she hurled herself forward and flipped him over her back. He rolled out of the way as she went to stomp him, and then Ladybug was passing him and tossing her yoyo back at the akuma.
She had forgotten what it was like to fight with Viperion. Bearing the Snake Miraculous had always come so easy to him, and he had always proven himself more than competent in the field. He was steady and calculating, never moving unless he knew exactly what steps to take. It made him a good choice for a time Miraculous, and usually he stayed in the background, working on the sidelines to better orchestrate a victory – but even when he was forced to jump into the fray he was more than capable. It reminded her of the good days with Chat, when their fighting styles complemented each other perfectly. When they could move in sync without petty jealousies and distractions getting in the way. Ladybug and Viperion wove around the akuma like a dance, chasing her away from the public to cause as little damage to the city as possible. Ladybug would make her move, and Viperion would slip into place without a word needing to be said. They were overpowering the akuma. They had her on the defensive. They were winning.
And the akuma knew it.
Ladybug's eyes widened as she heard the crack and saw the akuma's necklace begin to split. The akuma was panicking, and she was going to reset to avoid losing. They couldn't let that happen.
"Viperion! She's going to reset – stop her!" Ladybug called. The akuma's eyes widened as a glowing butterfly mask surrounded her eyes. She turned towards Viperion sharply, screeching as she saw him reach for his bangle. She raced towards him, but he was on the other side of the roof and faster.
"Second Chance!"
"That's not your usual partner!" the akuma called, spinning out of Ladybug's reach as she leapt at her. Ladybug's eyes narrowed as she dove into a crouch, ducking under the akuma's punch and sweeping her leg out to knock the akuma's feet from under her. She grabbed for the akuma's necklace, but she rolled out of the way. Viperion's cry of Second Chance! echoed in her ears, and a weight lifted from her shoulders. They had time. They could do this.
"Let us get to tomorrow and maybe you'll find out!" Ladybug snapped back, pushing herself from the ground and throwing her yoyo at the akuma as Viperion called to her. She couldn't answer him, however, as the akuma flipped over her head and ran towards him. Ladybug watched as he easily side-stepped her attack, catching her wrist and spinning her to lock both arms behind her back. Viperion looked over the akuma's shoulder.
"We're on our second run!" he called, and Ladybug stumbled to a stop before him. Her eyes widened.
"What?" she asked. The akuma screamed, struggling, and Viperion grit his teeth as he tightened his grip on her.
"She resets if she thinks she's losing! I had to beat her to it!" he said. The akuma screamed, and they both looked at her as a crack echoed in the air. Her necklace was splitting. "Shit!"
The akuma's eyes were glowing, light starting to spill from the splitting necklace, and Viperion shoved her away and reached for his bangle.
"Second Chance!"
"That's not your usual partner!" the akuma called, but before Ladybug could leap at her Viperion caught up with her and pulled her back. She turned as the akuma retreated further, but Viperion shook his head.
"Two Second Chances," he said, glancing back the akuma. "She panics if she gets caught. Tries to reset, and I have to reset before she can. She's fast, Ladybug."
"Then I have to be faster," Ladybug huffed, and Viperion nodded as she pulled away from him and ran after the akuma. "Stop running away and fight me! Don't you want to end this?!"
"I want Valentine's Day to go how it was supposed to!" the akuma shot, and if Ladybug's laugh was a little bitter she didn't think anyone could blame her.
"So do I!" she cried, and the akuma flipped over her head to run towards Viperion.
"Stop interfering, you irritating brat!" she cried. Viperion spun away from her, his eyes narrowing on her necklace as she slipped past him. He ducked under her fist and came up before her, grinning as he snatched at her necklace. Before he could fully remove it, she shrieked.
"NO!" she cried, and Viperion's eyes widened as he felt it crack beneath his fingers. Her eyes began to glow, and he cursed again as he scrambled for his bangle.
"Second Chance!"
"That's not your usual partner!" the akuma called, but before Ladybug could come up with a witty reply – or even just a subpar reply – Viperion was racing past her and launching himself at the akuma. The akuma laughed as she spun out of the way, and Viperion tucked into a roll before jumping back up and running at her. She dodged again. "Too slow, little…what are you, anyway?"
She yelped as Viperion kicked her feet out from under her, grabbing her arms before she could hit the ground and forcing her to her knees. She scowled up at him as he yanked the necklace from her neck.
"Snake," he said.
"Oh my God!" Ladybug gasped, coming to a stop beside him. "You got it!"
"Time to end this," Viperion said, but when he went to crush the pendant in his fist…it was gone. His eyes widened as he brought his hand down, gawking at his empty palm. "What the hell?"
The akuma started laughing, and when they looked at her she was vanishing. Their eyes widened as she continued to laugh, but then she was gone. Viperion looked up at Ladybug.
"What just happened?" he asked.
"I don't…what…where did she go?" she asked, running her hand through the empty space between them. Her hand met no resistance: the akuma was gone. "But…we had her! You had her necklace! You –"
Viperion cried her name as the akuma reappeared, slamming into Ladybug's side and knocking her from the roof. He felt his stomach flip as he raced to the edge, the previous day and watching Ladybug hurtle towards the street below playing on a vicious loop in his mind. He swallowed around the lump of fear in his throat, but when he reached the edge he saw that she was fine. They both were. The akuma and Ladybug were wrestling on the roof below them, Ladybug on her back with the akuma screaming above her. He could hear his Miraculous beeping, and he cursed as he ducked below the ledge and detransformed.
"Hurry, buddy," Luka said, handing Sass a hardboiled egg. Sass nodded and devoured half the egg in a single bite, and Luka peered over the edge as he chewed. "Any clue on what just happened?"
"Time is fickle," Sass said after he swallowed. He hovered by Luka's head, watching Ladybug and the akuma dance around each other. "Did you feel it? That is not the sssssame akuma we were fighting."
"Looks the same to me," Luka muttered. Sass flicked his cheek with his tail, and Luka rolled his eyes. "But you're the expert."
"I am older and wiser, but by no means an exxxxpert, ssssssnakelet," Sass huffed. Luka went to comment when Ladybug was flipped onto her back, landing hard on a corner and screaming.
"Done yet?" he asked, looking back in time to watch Sass swallow the rest of the egg whole. His hand fidgeted, his thumb reaching back to spin his ring.
"Let'ssss go," Sass said. Luka transformed, and Viperion activated his Second Chance just as the akuma threw Ladybug through the window of the warehouse behind them. He cursed and raced after them, following the akuma through the busted window.
An alarm was blaring around them, but the building appeared empty. The akuma screamed as she raced towards Ladybug, but Viperion caught up with her and grabbed her wrist, hurtling her away and towards the wall. Her eyes narrowed at him as she rose to her feet. His lips curled back in a hissing snarl, and he braced himself. Ladybug was pushing herself to her feet behind him, groaning as she rubbed her head. He couldn't afford to look back at her, though. He wouldn't let the akuma past him. He wouldn't let her hurt Ladybug again.
"You're getting in my way," the akuma snarled, and Viperion's eyes shot open as she threw her arm towards them, flames shooting from her palm. He spun and grabbed Ladybug, hauling her out of the way in the nick of time.
"Well, that's new!" he gasped, holding her close. He glanced down to find she was also gawking at the akuma. "Did you know she could do that?"
"No! When did that happen?! What the hell?!" Ladybug cried. He shrugged. He supposed it wasn't too surprising, giving the flaming hair. Some kind of fire power should have been expected. The akuma screamed again and sent another blast their way, and Viperion scrambled to avoid the flames.
"Can you move?" he asked Ladybug, and she nodded as she pushed away from him. He nodded, told her to stay there, and ran towards the akuma. He flipped over her as she shot another blast his way. He landed smoothly behind her, reaching back to grab her arm and yank her to the ground. Her other arm flew out, and he heard Ladybug yelp and dodge. The alarm grew louder, and he winced as water began raining down on them. Her errant blast had probably triggered an old sprinkler system.
"Get her necklace! That's where the akuma is!" Ladybug called over the noise.
"You heard the Lady," Viperion said, grinning at the akuma. He reached down and closed his fist around the necklace. "Hand it ov-"
Her eyes began glowing, and he rolled his eyes as he reached for his bangle – but then a flaming fist was coming at him, and then he was falling to the side as the skin of his cheek blistered. He groaned, wincing as he reached up for his face. The akuma screamed and ran towards him, but he was already reaching for his bangle.
"Second Chance!"
Viperion was already jumping to the roof below, following the akuma through the window she had just thrown Ladybug through. He could hear the alarm blaring around them and the akuma's scream echoing above it, and he winced as his head throbbed. His face was healed thanks to the Second Chance, but there was an echo of pain where the burn had been. Time is fickle, Sass had claimed. It was a lesson Viperion was learning all too well.
He slammed into the akuma, sending her sprawling as he used his momentum to duck into a roll. He came up beside Ladybug, who was groaning and trying to sit up. He grasped her shoulders and helped her, glancing back to find the akuma was trying to dig her way out of a pile of boxes that had fallen on her.
"Easy, easy," he said softly, squeezing her arms. Ladybug looked up at him, but he was still watching the akuma. "Be careful. She has fire powers."
"…she has what," Ladybug echoed, and he winced as he looked back at her.
"The fire's not just on her head," he said. He rubbed at his cheek, the phantom pain still lingering. The akuma screamed, and the boxes flew away from her in an eruption of flame that set the sprinklers off again. He groaned. "See? Fire powers."
"Well, that's new," Ladybug huffed.
"Are you ok? Can you fight?" he asked, looking back at her. She shoved him away and stood.
"It's not the first roof I've been thrown from," she huffed. He winced, and she frowned. "Sorry. Yes, I can – watch out!"
She shoved him aside and swung her yoyo, forming a shield just in time to deflect the akuma's blast. Viperion's eyes narrowed. This was getting old, and it was getting old fast.
"No fair, Ladybug," the akuma called, her eyes darting between them. "You have a partner! I have to fight you all alone!"
"I always have a partner!" Ladybug snorted. "It's not my fault Chaton didn't think you were enough of a problem to show up!"
"…and yet here we are, twenty-three days later. Perhaps he simply doesn't care as much as he'd have Paris believe," the akuma taunted. Ladybug tried to hide her surprise at learning how long they'd been stuck in the loop, instead focusing on the jab about Chat. She rolled her eyes, refusing to answer her. The akuma didn't know what she was talking about, anyway. She didn't know Chat wasn't even in Paris.
"Then I guess I'm lucky some of my teammates do," she answered.
It was, apparently, the wrong thing to say. The akuma's eyes narrowed, her gaze focusing in on Viperion.
"Yes, perhaps you are…" she mused. She looked back at Ladybug, glaring. "Perhaps you are too lucky, Ladybug."
"What is that su…?" Ladybug started, but the akuma roared and sent another blast of fire her way.
"Ladybug, move!" Viperion cried, pushing her out of the way.
It had all been a distraction. Ladybug pivoted to find the akuma had moved behind the blast, sneaking around them to come up behind Viperion while they were distracted. She smirked at Ladybug over his shoulder, his arms twisted behind his back and one of her arms locked around his neck.
"Viperion!" Ladybug cried, but the akuma stepped back when she moved towards them. Ladybug stopped, scowling at her. "Let him go!"
"I don't think so, Ladybug," the akuma said, her eyes starting to glow. Ladybug sucked in a breath. She saw Viperion squirming, struggling to reach his bangle as his mouth tried to form the words through the pressure over his neck, but it was too late. The akuma was laughing, the glow spreading from her eyes and mouth. From the crack forming in her pendant. "Let's see how well you do alone, little bug."
Ladybug cursed and dove towards them, but the akuma exploded in light.